One of the attractions to terrorists is the successful track record of the use of terror in history. I notice today the government of Israel is all up in arms about their Minister of Tourism being assassinated. Of course Israel coming down hard on the PLO  will not help the U.S.’s position with the world’s Muslim population.  Muslims are well aware of how Israel came into being; by the use of terrorism - the Stern Gang [url] www.ipsjps.org/html/jheller.html[/url] - against the British in Trans-Palestine in the late 1940s.  [url]www.cdiss.org/terror_1940s.htm[/url]  contains a list of some of those acts along with others around the world at that time.  The success of terror to establish a Jewish state along with other perceived terrorist successes have to be noticed by groups around the world.

Did the British brand American colonists as outlaws, rebels, terrorists in their attempt to form a country? Did they view the Irish people as outlaws, rebels, terrorists in their attempt to form a country? Did the monarchy of France view the backers of the French Revolution as outlaws, rebels, terrorists?  Surely the Tsar felt the same ref  Bolsheviks, Constitutional Democrats (Kadets), Mensheviks, Nationalists, Octobrists etc.  How about China, Mexico, countries of South America in the 1820s, Cuba, on & on & on.  Viewing the success of terrorism as a tool to achieve an end, it becomes very apparent that wining a war against it will be very difficult, more so now since some terroristic goals are not so easily defined and the groups so small.

Try to list other events in history that could be viewed as a “win” for terrorism.

KLA & Kosovo

I think terrorism drove us out of Lebanon and Somalia.

Terrorism drove the French out of Algeria.

If the occupying country is weak or decides it is not worth the price, they will withdraw.