Children's Crusade

Here is a report from the 2003 World Economic Forum. Of interest is this quote:

"If the U.S. unilaterally goes to war, and it is anything short of a
quick surgical strike (lasting less than 30 days), the economists were
all predicting extreme economic gloom: falling dollar value, rising spot
market oil prices, the Fed pushing interest rates down towards zero with
resulting increase in national debt, severe trouble in all countries
whose currency is guaranteed against the dollar (which is just about
everybody except the EU), a near cessation of all development and
humanitarian programs for poor countries. Very few economists or
ministers of finance predicted the world getting out of that economic
funk for minimally five-10 years, once the downward spiral ensues."

I recently saw a presentation by Michael Scheuer discussing his book Marching Toward Hell: America and Islam After Iraq. His argument was that in fact we are losing the war on terror everyday, because this war is not about explosions (another 9/11) which we may or may not have prevented. It is about the destruction of the American economy, which seems to be proceeding quite well, and Al-Qaeda must be pleased. Quite convincing in my opinion.