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There is a Finite Supply of Fools

November 18, 2005 08:09 PM

As usual, Richard Miniter's reporting is far ahead of the pack. In this article, he puts together a picture of the loss of Al Qaeda in Iraq's ranks in the past few weeks: Zarqawi May be Running out of Fools.

Only a few people will kill themselves to kill others. Al Qaeda has much experience with this and uses:

1. bribes, saying the family of the bomber will be cared for just as Saddam spent his country's resources in the Intifada.

2. coercion, chaining bombers to vehicles and threatening their family.

3. commitment, filming a bomber before the act so they lose face if they back out.

4. misleading the young and mentally disabled.

5. peer pressure, using friends and mentors to develop a bomber over time through small, irreversible commitments and loss of face of those who turn back at an earlier stage.

6. glorification, using conspicuous banners and memorials to show the living that the dead bombers gain some kind of perverse status.

7. dehumanizing the victims.

8. teaching hate in the schools and mosques.

9. deliberately placing individuals at risk so that if they are killed family members will want to "retaliate" (against whom? they ought to retaliate against those who put them in harm's way deliberately).

10. it wouldn't work without lots of media attention and the "press" is a willing participant.

But, it is hitting diminishing returns as Miniter's article suggests. It has to, there are only so many fools and the costs are rising while the gains (if such there be in some fool's mind) are limited.

· Uncertainty

Comments

Posted by: Flower Online [TypeKey Profile Page] at September 12, 2006 7:26 AM

Horror. That they learn children...

Best regards, Serg

Posted by: Serg [TypeKey Profile Page] at June 5, 2006 6:53 AM

yes... but...

As a used car salesman once said "There's a sucker born every minute.".

Posted by: Kevin Bond at November 21, 2005 4:17 PM

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