The events in Mumbai have led me to ask the question, is "the war on terror" as it appears? Is it winnable? Is it even something we can have a say on? Or has it got to the stage where it is out of our hands, and the damage has already been done in terms of ideals and mindsets? I was watching the BBC earlier, and the reporter said the attack may have involved Al-Qaeda. Isn't that the case with all islamic extremism now? Al-Qaeda isn't really an effective organisation anymore, but it is here to stay; it is now a way of thinking. And the seeds have already been sown, starting the 80's with western money and training, being allowed to grow and mutate unchecked through the 90's, and culminating with 9/11. From this point of view, we can't really destroy an idea, this monster designed to be iconic, inspiring, and entralling to millions of muslims worldwide. The only place it has been contained has been through the awakening in iraq, and here merely by the dollar. In 10 years time we may well look back and say the west is fighting a war that it had lost before it had even started.

Just some thoughts.