Appeasement as Weakness

Lest there be any doubt that Islamists and other totalitarians see appeasement as anything other than weakness and an invitation to continue their predations, consider this story:

Hezbollah Says Israeli Response a Surprise

"The truth is - let me say this clearly - we didn't even expect (this) response ... that (Israel) would exploit this operation for this big war against us," said Komati.

He said Hezbollah had expected "the usual, limited response" from Israel.

In the past, he said, Israeli responses to Hezbollah actions included sending commandos into Lebanon, seizing Hezbollah officials and briefly targeting specific Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon.

Komati said his group had anticipated negotiations to swap the Israeli soldiers for three Lebanese held in Israeli jails, with Germany acting as a mediator as it has in past prisoner exchanges.

(Emphasis added)

Update: These people learned the same lesson from previous Israeli withdrawals and concessions. I think it's high time for the West to begin teaching from a radically different lesson book...