American power, however, under the Reagan Administration propped up Saddam Hussein in his war against Iran, supported Saudi Arabia with the sale of AWACs and sent in the US fleet in 1987 to prevent Iran threatening the oppressive regimes around the Persian Gulf and Iraq. Before we get too misty-eyed about selfless Americans (as opposed to those dictator-schmooching Europeans), it is worth realising that US administrations as well as other governments (democratic or otherwise) act in their own self-interest.

The so-called War on Terrorism is just another chapter in US administrations advancing their imperial interests. It is partly for oil, partly to crush opposition to the US in the Middle-East and partly a strategy aimed at marginalising Western European countries, Russia and the threat of China. US imperial advances certainly didn't begin in Bosnia in the early 1990s, as Softic asserts that Chomsky and Pilger said; they go back to America's foundation as an independent state.

Good article Osman, but two corrections:

- Devout muslims have so many definitions in Islam: those who live for charity, those who sponsor an orphan, those who sleep without hating or holding a grudge, etc. terrorists are not devout muslims but brainwashed individuals with too much hate and anger. Maybe they think they are muslims but they moved out of the faith when they started killing innocent people.

The terror ideology can only be won by muslims and the first steps to kill an ideology is to stop believing in it (when muslims know that these are terrorist and non-muslims stop calling them muslims).

- War in Iraq: only time can tell whether it was a good idea but why didn’t it start in Pakistan? The problem with the US foreign policy it is still thinking its fighting a traditional physical enemy while it transformed itself into an ideology. We need to evolve and fight it for what it is.

Osman:You sound fair dinkum - but - a moslem is allowed, encouraged to lie to what you call unbelievers.
Your koran encourages suicide bombers and the killing of unbelievers.
There is a woman now in strife in moslem malaysia because she has changed her name and now wishes to to be seen as a Christian.
Again your koran instructs devout moslems not to make friends of unbelievers.
In most moslem nations I would be jailed if I carried a Bible openly. If I went to or conducted a Christian Bible study or service.
I could not attempt, as it is illegal, to convert any moslem at all. Above all I could not build or erect a Christian place of worship.
Not all moslems are terrorists but most terrorists are moslem.
I do not hate moslems but I find that I just cannot trust or believe moslems. numbat

Why would the US want to make war on Pakistan? Unlike Iraq, Central American countries and most places the US takes on, it has nuclear capabilities and has had so since 1998. Moreover, it is a useful ally in the region. Unlike Saddam Hussein's Iraq which outlived its usefulness in 1990.

Whether you regard Muslim fundamentalists who blow themselves up in order to kill others as genuine or non-genuine Muslims, one problem stands out: why they do it. You can harp on about them being cowards etc but they don't care. They're not going to know - they're dead. One researcher from US (can't remember his name) made point that suicide bombing tends to cease after an occupying power leaves the territory where the bombing occurs. In other words, there is an underlying cause of suicide terrorism and it does need to be addressed. Going on about "good" and "evil" doesn't serve a useful purpose in this context.

numbat - most terrorists are male, too. If I am to follow your logic, I assume you are distrustful of males? Wait, they're all people actually. Hang on...yep, definitely all human beings. You have no one left to trust, numbat! Damn.

How about just be distrustful of terrorists, instead of being distrustful of muslims? An easy way to avoid becoming bigotted, far more sensible, and you wouldn't have to distrust or fear 1,126,325,000 (83% Sunnis, 16% Shi'ites, 1% other) people on our planet.

Jeez, imagine if Islam WAS responsible for terrorists...that many terrorists around, we wouldn't last long would we? Good thing it ISN'T! :D

DavidJS: If most terrorists are moslem, and it is so as you well know. Then where is illogical to be wary of and not, unfortunately, be able to trust moslems?
If moslems are taught by their koran that it is permissable to lie to unbelievers. Even moslem governments follow the same koranic 'rule' where is it illogical not trust them?
If moslems are taught in the koran not to befriend unbelievers and that the life of an unbeliever is not worth the life of a moslem. Then where is it illogical to be wary of them?
Rather than hide my head in the sand I have read a lot about islam, it's aims and way of attaining those aims. Where is that illogical?
Don't forget even so-called moderate moslems read this same koran. Even moderate moslems are taught by their leaders from the koran every Friday in their mosques.
Even moderate moslems are beholding to the koran, they, as good moslems must and do believe it's teachings. If they don't then they can be punished as lapsed (there is another word that escapes me at present) believers. numbat