Quote:
Originally posted by RougeUnderoos@Oct 18 2005, 07:32 PM
So let me get this straight Lanny... the study says there are far fewer conflicts going on now, you yourself say that conflicts are smaller and the death toll is smaller, and you interpret these things as evidence things are getting worse?
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The major conflicts are getting worse. The conflicts that are out there are ones that are not going to disappear anytime soon and continue to fester. That makes it dangerous.
20 years ago there was threat of nuclear war. Luckily it was accompanied by the defensive principle of mutually assured destruction, and that prevented anyone from using the bomb. Sure, we could potentially all die, but it was very unlikely.
Now we have the terrorist threat. Not major engagements, but hit and run and extremely dangerous. The unpredictable nature of the threat makes it more dangerous IMO. You knew the Russians would never use a nuke or a bio agent against the west, because the west would retaliate. Terrorists can, and likely will, use the weapons of those nature if they get their hands on them. They have no country to call home, making reprisal impossible. And if the west does retaliate it feeds their ranks. Again, the whole thing becomes more and more dangerous.
Thsi is very much like the gang problems that cities face all over North America. Those that hadle it properly control the problem and eliminate the risk. Those that don't see the gamg problem fester and become a huge issue, one where the security of the citizens is in jeopardy. People are at risk every day because of the lawlessness these gangs utilize. The same applies to terrorists.
These folks don't play by any rules and that makes them the most dangerous people around. It also puts us at a higher risk than at any time in our lifetimes. You never know when or how they could strike. While Bush and company try to put on a brave face and say we are fighting them in Iraq so we do not fight them here, some of us know that is bullshinguard and that we are still at great risk in this country as well. Deaths caused through these conflicts may be down, and the number of conflicts may be down, but our security is at an all time low. That means the world is a much more dangerous place.