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I hold no particular belief regarding the 2001 terrorist attacks. Truth in muddled and highly political situations rarely comes out until the conflict is no more relevant, and I do not expect it in this case either.

melo makes a good point regarding the nature of al-Qaida. It makes me regret that I did not choose the start of the other world war as comparision.

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

After conducting a criminal investigation, verifying that Germany would honor its military alliance, and persuading the skeptical Hungarian Count Tisza, Austria-Hungary issued a formal letter to the government of Serbia. The letter reminded Serbia of its commitment to respect the Great Powers' decision regarding Bosnia-Herzegovina, and to maintain good neighborly relations with Austria-Hungary. The letter contained specific demands aimed at preventing the publication of propaganda advocating the violent destruction of Austria-Hungary, removing the people behind this propaganda from the Serbian Military, arresting the people on Serbian soil who were involved in the assassination plot and preventing the clandestine shipment of arms and explosives from Serbia to Austria-Hungary.

July Crisis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Confronted with the ultimatum and the lack of support from other European powers, the Serbian Cabinet hemmed and hawed about whether to accept the humiliating terms, or reject it with the knowledge that a war would come[114]. Finally, all compromise was worked out where Serbia accepted all of the terms of the ultimatum except for the demand that Austrian police be allowed to operate in Serbia, but attached a number of reservations to the other terms[115].

Of course, we know how that ended:
Treaty of Peace between the Allied and Associated Powers and Austria; Protocol, Declaration and Special Declaration [1920] ATS 3

The Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Austria accepts the responsibility of Austria and her Allies for causing the loss and damage to which the Allied and Associated Governments and their nationals have been subjected as a consequence of the war imposed upon them by the aggression of Austria-Hungary and her Allies.

To be compared with:

Portsmouth Herald World/National News: U.S. Jets Pound Targets Around Kabul

Taliban Deputy Prime Minister Haji Abdul Kabir offered Sunday to surrender bin Laden for trial in an unspecified third country if Washington stopped the bombing and provided the Taliban with evidence of the Saudi dissident's guilt. Bush said no.

``We know he's guilty. Turn him over,'' the president said in Washington.

Which would mean that the US is by the standard imposed by England, France and the US responsible for starting the war in Afghanistan. Which no swedish government would say.

Sweden's finest (and perhaps only) collaborative, leftist e-newspaper Synapze.se

by A swedish kind of death on Tue Aug 25th, 2009 at 04:38:36 PM EST
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