Our experience proves this. Since 9/11, nations have waxed and waned in their support for us in either Iraq or Afghanistan or in general cooperation, and we remain committed to letting friends decide on their level of support. This is the best way to avoid resentment and to get enthusiasm for the support offered. Do we ask for more help quietly? I'm sure we do. But when Japan pulls out their naval support for logistics in the Indian Ocean, we don't berate the Japanese. They'll either change their mind--or not. And we'll drive on. Or maybe they'll do more in a couple years.
But our enemies are the ones who actually believe this idea that you are either with them fully or you are against them. Their ability to kill so many fellow Moslems who don't go along with the al Qaeda caliphate plan demonstrates this clearly.
And now al Qaeda has turned their wrath on Libya (!):
In the 28-minute audio tape called "Unity of the Ranks," Ayman al-Zawahri also announced that the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group was joining ranks with al-Qaida.
"The Islamic nation is witnessing a blessed step ... The brothers are escalating the confrontation against the enemies of Islam: Gadhafi and his masters, the Washington crusaders," al-Zawahri said in the audio tape. The recording could not be independently verified, but it appeared on a Web site commonly used by insurgents and carried the logo of al-Qaida's media production house, as-Sahab.
The recording also carried a message from Abu Laith al-Libi, a Libyan al-Qaida commander in Afghanistan who accused Gadhafi of decades of tyranny.
"He is the tyranny of Libya and is dragging the country to the swamp," al-Libi said in the recording that also featured old video footage of him walking with other masked gunmen.
"After long years, he (Gadhafi) discovered suddenly that America is not an enemy ... and is turning Libya into another crusader base," said al-Libi, who has appeared in several recent al-Qaida videos.
So al Qaeda will add another member to the coalition of the willing. Out of self defense, Libya will continue to cooperate with us and may get used to that status.
Many Arab or Moslem nations have learned what it means to be against al Qaeda. And how little it takes to be labeled "against" them.
