Jack,

I do not know if there are any answers to these questions. I can give you my thoughts on the subject, but they are certainly not answers.

In so far as capturing Bin Laden goes, the high tech stuff is not working. The robot planes can't locate him. When they thought they had located him in some of the caves, they tried to burn him out with air fuel bombs that burn up the atmosphere for  a very large area, and the flames follow the oxygen into the caves as it burns the oxygen. They failed. The bounty they placed on his head has not attracted anyone.

The biggest problem seeems to be that the guy never stays in one place for more than a few hours. He never uses a cell phone or other means of electronic communication from which a signal could be detected. Instead he uses courriers to carry messages. The local Taliban hides him. Added to this there is the mountainous terrain some of which is accessable only by horseback or on foot. Other than going after him on foot the old fashioned way or by air where possible, I do not think his capture is going to be accomplished for a very long time, if ever.

In so far as a stable government in Iraq is concerned I will be very surprised if it ever comes to fruition. Democracy is practically an unkown form of government in this area. Dictatorships are the order of the day.
What I think it comes down to is that the Iraqui people need to decide what it is that they want. The Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds have been at each others throats for centuries. They need to overcome their hatreds and unify as one people against the insurgents. Until they do nothing will be accomplished. So far it does not look very promising.

With respect to combating terrorism, I think new strategies need to be devised. Delta Force, Rangers, Green Berrets, Seals, etc. are probably best equiiped, and can be trained further. I think rapid depolyment of elite units rather than large standing armies will be more effective. NATO has outlived its usefullness. We can no longer rely on its members.

The high tech stuff can also be used if we know what it is that we want to target. The History Channel just had an interesting show on aviation in which it indicated that remote control fighters are the future. One man sitting at a computer terminal can direct four remote control planes at once.. no more loss of pilots.

North Korea is definitely a problem...an unstable leader with a nuclear capability. The biggest problem I think is that you may see rogue states such as North Korea selling nuclear technology to the terrorist groups in order to support itself. Its missile lauches are saber rattling in which it is trying to draw attention to itself as a formidable opponant. I think North Korea has social problems, human rights problems and just the plane subsistance of its population that the government can not deal with. I think that it is trying to extort some type of funding from the other nations it threatens in order to carry on. I am not sure if diplomacy will work. It would not surprise me if Black Ops people solve the problem.

I agree that we are faced with a vicious enemy, but I do think that we do not have to sink to that level. I think that all prisoners on both sides need to be treated in accord with the precepts of international law. If the terrorists are guilty of executing prisoners in illegal kills in a war zone, they should be tried as war criminals if they can be deemed subject to the rules of war.