Out of Context?

I do try to write in other forums, such as letters to editors of national papers. I'm having less success these days with the Sydney Morning Herald, so tried the Australian on Thursday, though one would not have thought that I would have (even) less success there,  given the right-leaning nature of the paper.

 

Here is my letter: 

 

It is necessary for the government of a liberal democratic state that embarks on a war  to bring that war to an end as quickly as possible. This is a fundamental duty that a government has to its people, as there is nothing so important in war as its end. There are many indications that the present government has not the faintest clue how the war against IS will end. I will mention two.

 
In the first place, the Prime Minister insists on calling IS a death cult. ‘pure and simple’. What does what do with a death cult, indeed, what is it? Is it just bent on killing for the sake of killing? So there can be political accommodation, no negotiated peace, no surrender? The members of IS are clearly not nice people, but surely one should try to understand their motives and aims, if only to better defeat them. It is unlikely that the Prime Minister only talks this way in public.
 
In the second place, no one knows how long the war will take. Not weeks, not months even, maybe years. If that is true, what is the point of air strikes? If these are effective, surely there can be some estimate of when IS will be defeated. Does not every air strike ‘degrade’ IS by a measurable amount, so in the end it will no longer be a viable fighting force? If they are not effective, why are participating? It seems to me that our ‘strategy is based on an inconsistency. Deeply worrying. 



Here is what they published:

 

The Prime Minister insists on calling IS a death cult. ‘pure and simple’. What does what do with a death cult, indeed, what is it? Is it just bent on killing for the sake of killing? So there can be political accommodation, no negotiated peace, no surrender? The members of IS are clearly not nice people, but surely one should try to understand their motives and aims, if only to better defeat them.

 

Quite different sense, don't you think?

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