On the surface, at least, today's events involving the interception of 24 suicide bombers intent upon blowing up ten planes somewhere over the Atlantic may seem to cast a pall over the author (James Fallows) of The September Atlantic's belief that we should declare the war on terrorism won and move on to dealing with individual acts of anarchy as they crop up. But on second review, one is also faced with the fact that we (the western world and our greatest partner in the struggle... the UK) DID stop this most recent terror event from taking place. This is perhaps yet further proof that we have "won" the war I suppose, but on the other hand... it makes it very clear there will still be many battles ahead.

No matter what you call it, in the end, a snake is still a snake. And this snake is alive and grabbing everyone in reach because somehow, in our ignorance perhaps, we failed to care for it properly and then let it out of the cage. The cage has been obliterated by the advance of technology that has shrunk our world to the point where every person can reach out and touch anyone around the globe. What may have seemed like a wonderful technological gift at first has proved to be the cradle of our enemy and that enemy is and will continue to reach out and strike until it is subdued with diplomacy or obliterated entirely.

I do not believe that diplomacy will work with this enemy. I wish it would, but in order for diplomacy to work, your enemy has to be willing to sit down and discuss and negotiate. Negotiation implies compromise. Our enemy hates everything America stands for and all the freedoms we hold dear. What freedom would you be willing to give up in the name of diplomacy... women's rights? Democracy? Freedom of religion? Freedom of speech? Even if we gave up all those things and converted to Islam, our enemy would still consider us unworthy.

This is not a conflict like any other. Unusual events require unusual solutions. In hindsight I agree that Afghanistan was necessary and that Iraq was a mistake. But the snake is out of the cage now so we have to deal with it.

One possible solution to Iraq that might pacify and ease the struggling a bit is the same solution I suggested back when we first invaded Iraq... divide the country into three different countries. It is the only logical solution and in the end the suicidal dynamics at work within that culture will likely produce that result anyhow, but not until many more thousands of lives are lost. It is not the answer to the fundamentalist Islamic issue that is driving terrorism but it is a factor that is contributing to the chaos and draining money and resources and lives from the West that could be used more effectively to fight the true enemy.

Those are my opinions, for what they are worth. Do you agree or disagree?