Source: The Economist
There is no doubt that al Qaeda has wrought havoc throughout the world over the past two decades. However, actually seeing the number of people the terrorist organization has killed really brings home its destructive nature.
Several weeks ago, The Economist put together the chart above, which chronicles al Qaeda’s attacks outside of Afghanistan and Iraq from 1992 to 2008.
Reflections of a Rational Republican 
The omission of Iraq makes this list rather pointless. I remember the good old days when their Iraqi division was staging truck bomb attacks almost daily.
I wouldn’t say it is pointless, although I would agree that the bulk of al Qaeda -induced deaths did likely occur in Iraq. Those figures are probably a bit more difficult to separate because some deaths were because of traditional combat and others, the result of terrorism. Plus, there are other classification issues. For instance, does a suicide bombing attack against soldiers really count as terrorism or a legitimate military tactic?
Most truck bomb attacks were directed against mosques and markets. I assume the overall death toll should be running in dozens of thousands. This makes the Economist list pale in comparison. It certainly does not reflect the scale of the AQ operations
True.
As a comic relief
Don’t miss this one
*** That the Saudis are even considering such a project shows how difficult and costly it is becoming to slake the world’s thirst for oil. It also suggests that even the Saudis may not be able to boost production quickly in the future if demand rises unexpectedly. Neither issue bodes well for the return of cheap oil over the long term. *** http://goo.gl/4QGUQ
Nobody,
Thanks, I will take a look.
Twilight in the Desert covers a lot of this stuff fairly well. I already wrote my review of the book and it is in my queue of posts new week, I believe.