Reply #6: I think it could be argued that brute force would create .... [View All]

the exact opposite. By killing the terrorist, one would have to kill their families and loved ones also, because if they die for an idea which they may think is noble, the family and loved ones will not turn against the "terrorist" because they are not convinced that he is a bad person. Rather they would tend to look at him as a martyr. This would only enlarge the idea and create more terrorists to defend the idea.

I fear that is what we have done in the Middle East, especially Iraq. Perhaps it oculd have been argued credibly, even to the Arab ancestors of the 9/11 hijackers, that what they did was evil. But it would be much more difficult to convince them that what we did in invading Iraq was done to get "rid of evil". That action will undoubtedly lead to more terrorism, in my opinion.