Resulte of American Presence
Reader comment on item: Saddam's Damn Dam [i.e., The Mosul Dam]
in response to reader comment: "Social Work"

Submitted by E. N. Mayfield, Jr. (United States), Nov 10, 2007 at 03:42

M. Bouffant expresses a very widespread misconception about the causes of terrorism.

American presence and activities in the Middle East do not generate terrorists, although the terrorists and many "experts" promote that belief in every possible way.

Please read "Inside Terrorism," by Bruce Hoffman, Columbia University Press, 2006, for an excellent elucidation of terrorism's origins, both historically and in contemporary circumstances..

American presence in the Middle East results in countless individual acts of kindness towards citizens of those countries, as well as numerous civil engineering projects funded by the U.S.to improve conditions, there. So, at least some goodwill is generated. The rare inappropriate actions by Americans do provide priceless fodder for terrorist propaganda about the Great Satan, but Muslims would (and do) simply fabricate gigantic lies, such as the denial of the Holocaust. Any American or U.N. "misdeeds" are just a bonus for them. And, many of those purported misdeeds are also fabricated and intentionally staged for benefit of the world press, which eats it up. Hoffman describes this tactic as terrorist theater.

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