To either be protective or destructive. A lot of it has to do with your upbringing. The rest has to do with integration into communities.
And opportunity.

I find it interesting to see all the destruction going on in Iraq by the Americans as seen as necessary for our protection. Destruction for our protection. I look at the fact we didn't destroy the Taliban or the Saudis who were behind the 9/11 attacks. Instead we're blowing our load in Iraq. For 1) WMD's 2) Saddam was bad, bad, bad 3) We needed to liberate the Iraqi people by destroying their leader to bring them democracy.

And now we have a show down in Najaf, a "war" between those loyal to their country and we, the Americans who can't stop the train wreck that's on it's way. Is this nihilism on their part and OURS?

Has this war been worth it? Is it solving anything?
It used to be safer for Americans to travel. Now we have created generations of Muslims who will actively seek our demise, because our leader taunted them with "Bring it on". Is our whole society nihilistic?

Just where does this end? I only see escalation. And although I skirted around gbaikie's original post, I think we need to take a good look at where all of this is taking us.