Golden Opportunity

Another reason why the U.S. government should be jumping at the chance to provide aid for the tsunami:

"This is a golden opportunity for the United States," says Gunaratna. The refrain that the United States and the West are losing the war of ideas, especially in the Muslim world, was the main topic at a recent conference about al Qaeda

But counter that with images of U.S. helicopters bringing aid to places like Aceh, delivering something that insurgents can't, and Gunaratna thinks that devastation can unwittingly bring some good...that it might overwhelm the message from bin Laden, at least in Indonesia, which is after all the most populous Islamic country in the world.

Could it possibly be that compassion and mercy may be a more efficient means to national security than laser guided missiles and tanks? Who knew?

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slacktivist has some good comments too [thanks to whitenoisejunky for the link]:

America's response to tragedies like this -- particularly when they center on Muslim nations like Indonesia -- is therefore politically important. It provides an opportunity to demonstrate the reality of our ideals and our good will, and to refute the terrorists' message that America is simply a self-interested, imperialist, evil nation.