   Reverse Terrorism
  Somehow I had the messed up idea of what would happen if some Americans decided to practice "reverse terrorism" against Arab countries.  Specifically, bombings in Saudi Arabia, Palestine, and maybe certain villages in Iraq.I mean, how successful could they be?  Would terrorist groups back down?  Would it escalate into international war?  What if it was funded officially and they somehow got a hold of nukes (not US nukes, Russian or something to make them untraceable) and used them?I''m just kind of thinking out loud here.  I''m interested to hear responses. 
  As evidence in WWII, attacking a population really doesn't work.It takes a brutality not seen since the Roman empire for terrorism to truely work.   If we landed an army, smashed, raped and plundered everything in Saudi Arabia and pissed on Meca, then most arabs would back down.  Mostly fearing that we'd do the exact same horrible things to them.A few random bombings would only make the populace's resolve against us stronger.   [edited by - dede on February 10, 2004 2:37:23 PM];  Pissing on Mecca would cause WWIII ;quote:Original post by dede  As evidence in WWII, attacking a population really doesn''t work.It takes a brutality not seen since the Roman empire for terrorism to truely work.   If we landed an army, smashed, raped and plundered everything in Saudi Arabia and pissed on Meca, then most arabs would back down.  Mostly fearing that we''d do the exact same horrible things to them.A few random bombings would only make the populace''s resolve against us stronger.   [edited by - dede on February 10, 2004 2:37:23 PM]nagasaki, hiroshami... ;  I would think that reverse terrorism would be something like sending people out to hostile territory to distribute food, clothes, money, and make random people feel more safe and secure. -=Lohrno ;quote:Original post by Lohrno  I would think that reverse terrorism would be something like sending people out to hostile territory to distribute food, clothes, money, and make random people feel more safe and secure. -=Lohrno   I came up with the name along the same lines as "reverse racism".  Still racism, just going in the other direction (US citizens terrorizing Arab populations). ;quote:Original post by Kadesh  I came up with the name along the same lines as "reverse racism".  Still racism, just going in the other direction (US citizens terrorizing Arab populations).   But "Saudi Arabia, Palestine, and maybe certain villages in Iraq" never terrorized the US...   ;quote:Original post by cowsarenotevil  quote:Original post by Kadesh   I came up with the name along the same lines as "reverse racism".  Still racism, just going in the other direction (US citizens terrorizing Arab populations).   But "Saudi Arabia, Palestine, and maybe certain villages in Iraq" never terrorized the US...    Terrorism is about fear... doesn''t matter who is attacked, it''s just flexing muscles and willingness to use them ;quote:Original post by cowsarenotevil  But "Saudi Arabia, Palestine, and maybe certain villages in Iraq" never terrorized the US...Not officially (though with SA, you''d wonder sometimes) but many terrorists groups are from those regions and are primarily interested in creating what they feel is a better position for their home country.Instilling a belief in Arab terrorist groups that further terrorism against the US and its allies would only lead to terrorist acts in their home countries might make them think about their goals.  Of course, as already mentioned, it''s more likely that they would just increase attacks and proclaim any Arab victims as casualties of war. ;  This thread title reminded me of Pratchett''s anti-crimes: for example, breaking-and-decorating or whitemailing, where someone will demand money for releasing, say, information on a mobster''s secret donations to charity.They never caught on, unsurprisingly... 