[A Reader on my website wrote to me saying that he disagreed about my views that terrorism could be beaten. He said that I might as well ask the wind not to blow. Here is my reply to him:-

I must disagree with you. Defeating terrorism is not as impossible as you think. It is, agreed, the most difficult form of warfare of all to fight – but then again – what makes it so difficult to fight is the modern Western Morality.

Terrorism and irregular warfare have been tried often throughout history – sometimes with success and at other times with no success at all.

To truly win, I believe, one must be exceedingly vicious. You will see that the British during the Boer war found that they could only defeat the Boers by burning their farms and rounding up their women and children.

Other examples of sheer brutality defeating terrorism can be found. The Nazis too were extremely effective and had virtually no problems though the British tried hard, using Commandos and the SAS to stir up trouble.

What prevents victory is modern morality. But, I believe, as terrorists continue, and perhaps progress into “super terrorism” then the USA and the West will respond with ever increasing force.

Terrorists can be defeated in many ways. Terrorism is, in truth, the war of the weak – and we must not forget that. People turn to terrorism when they do not have the means to win outright. Jan]