Tom,

In Islamic culture the calling for "truce" is interpreted as a sign of supremacy in conflict. Now none of us would claim that Osama is winning the war, but his use of the term "truce" was carefully chosen to affect Muslim opinion. The problem is that Mr. Bin Laden is still winning the hearts and minds of young people throughout the Muslim world. And so long as he is able to do that, we will not be able to win the war on terror.

Yesteday 2,000 students in Afghanistan marched chanting death to the U.S. and their allegiance to Bin Laden. Now how is that possible in a nation we supposedly brought freedom and democracy to? Why are these people grateful? The problem is that we have badly miscalculated because the people running our nation's foreign policy have not factored in the power of culture into the choices they have made - just as you misunderstood why he used the word "truce."

By going to war in Iraq, we took our eye off the ball. We missed a remarkable oppotunity to positively alter the dynamics of the Middle East and, instead have catapulted the whole region into chaos. In the meantime, Mr. Bin Laden still runs free, able to spread his message.

Donald