Let's Talk About Al-Qaeda
 

I've been arguing with Lynx that there's still a peaceful solution for this, but what that is I can't say - most likely capture and punish the individuals responsible for terrorist actions. He's been arguing that we actually do need to go after them as they've been going after us.

Trouble is, they've got cells across the world, and they've got a head start.

And because I didn't know this when I heard it asked to one of the heads of the FBI, here's the difference between Sunni and Shia Muslims.

Now I expect this thread to become highly opinionated, and I don't know what the moderators want to do with it - they might want to close it before it gets started... I think this is a current event that does need to be addressed, and it might help for people to discuss it. I know I need to look more into it, because I'm operating off of little real knowledge and more personal bias and idealism than anything else.

I'm not sure what the actual question is here.
The motivations of Al-Qaeda?
The appropriate (American?) response to them?

Cause I'm not even sure how big an issue they are. They are a convenient scapegoat for what is an absolute mire of different groups and ideologies and are useful for the media to shine a light upon and to avoid covering the real issues.
They claim they are responsible for a lot of things but others do to. If you are a terrorist group it makes sense to claim you caused as much havoc as possible.
And the US government doesn't seem too worried about them either, considering they invaded Iraq which had minimal Al-Qaeda links and yet buddies with Pakistan who are known to harbour cells.

I'd like to point out that a large majority of terrorist attacks are not attributed to Al-Quaida simply because they're a convenient scapegoat. They're more like a phenomenon that a terrorist group, really.
Imagine the following situation: A young Muslim from Bradford gets angry, possibly for a good reason, possibly over a misunderstanding, or possibly for no discernable reason. So, he looks up bomb recipes over the internet, and makes a few letter bombs, which he sends to the PM's office, the director of the BBC, and various other important institutions. Now let's assume he's doing this for his own reasons, but his information came from an Al Quaida site. When MI5 catch up with this young man, they arrest him (obv) and seize his computer, which shows evidence that he's been on an Al Quaida site. They make the obvious assumption, and he's jailed.
The point i'm trying to make is: Not all terrorists belong to Al Quaida.

Like the rules say, if this is a subject someone can discuss without hurling insults around then they are welcome to discuss it here. If it's something they can't discuss without getting angry or rude then they should not discuss it, so the people who are able to discuss it civilly have the opportunity to do so.

Are you after our opinions as to the possibilty of a peaceful solution to terrorsim/terrorists?

Yes.... actually, solutions in general.

The first step is finding out what these people want, and how, if at all, we can give it to them, or help them get it for themselves.
Or, indeed, if we can reach a compromise with them in regard to said aim.

Well I think it's safe to assume that the followers of Bin Laden want all Americans killed and America to not interfere in the world anymore. I believe his motivations are to just keep muslim interests within Muslim countries and for America to stay in America.
The rest of the "Al-Qaeda" faction's motives are inherently unknown other than dominance in the muslim tribes/organizations.

And, let's face it, that'd be extremely difficult to compromise on, simply because America's an economic and political superpower.
As for Bin Laden himself, is he aware of the amount of goods traded between America and the middle east? I don't know how much it is, but i'm fairly sure it's a LOT. Withdrawing all American influence would likely lead to serious economic shortfalls in the area.

I think what Xaeta is getting at is that Al Qaeda "wants" those things in the sense that, say, I want someone to walk into my office with a briefcase full of money and Scarlet Johannson and say here you go buddy, have a ball. Which is to say I'm not actually building long-term plans around it. What Xaeta distinguishes as his actual motivations --

-- are probably closer to Osama's actual long-term political aims (of course the likelihood of those happening still remains entirely debatable).

I don't think it's so much the bare existence of trade relationships as the political dominion the US exerts over the middle east which animates Al Qaeda's membership.