asearching1,

Given that the extremists in question are Muslim extremists, or as some prefer to describe them, radical Islamists, then the notion of a “small minority” justifies serious response.

The Muslim population of the world is somewhere between 1.1 billion and 1.9 billion, depending upon the source. Taking a conservative (for the purposes of the discussion) estimate of 1.25 billion, one tenth of one percent of the male population produces a number of 625,000. Given that no more than half of that number would be available due to extremes of age, 312,500 potential recruits remain.

While it is true that this number is relatively small in comparison to the world’s Muslim population, it is almost twice the number of active US Marines. The events of September 11th vividly demonstrated what a few empowered individuals can do. We are all aware of other terrorist attacks for which Al Qaeda accepts responsibility.

These attacks against Americans and American interests would justify an armed response if they were carried out by a sovereign nation. What options exist when dealing with a supranational entity like Al Qaeda? Can there be, even in principle, justifications for the use of US Armed Forces against such an organization? If so, what would they be? If not, then what effective response exists for a nation state?

Your assessment of US involvement in the Middle East did not include the only long lasting peace treaty secured in that region, the 1979 Camp David Accords, agreed to by Israel and Egypt, and brokered by the US. Even then, President Carter said that the treaty was "a first step on a long and difficult road." He also said "We must not minimalise the obstacles that lie ahead." Should America withdraw from such efforts?

You included American involvement and support of the Shah of Iran among the reasons associated with the Al Qaeda terrorist attacks. I believe that Ayatollah Khomeini declared an Islamic republic on 1 April 1979. At least three of the aircraft hijackers, Ahmed Ibrahim A. Al Haznawi, Abdulaziz Alomari, Waleed M. Alshehri, were born after the Islamic republic was created, and all of them were too young to remember the Shah’s regime. Unless ancestral hatred is admitted as a valid political position, this justification seems strained.

Before the world gets done bashing the Bin Laden family, I’d like to mention that I lived for almost 6 years in an apartment block built by Bin Laden Construction in Jeddah. They’re as regular folk as any extended family. Every family has its black sheep, although Osama has provided a new nadir.

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Eudaimonia