Technology. They have, at best, outdated Russian equipment facing modern US equipment. The American colonies had essentially the same weapons the British army did (as well as other factors). In a "fair" fight, they won't stand a chance and they know it. They don't even have the resources for guerilla warfare, and they resort to terrorism to, well, spread fear and destabilize the region because that is pretty much all they can do.
That I try to understand why they do what they do has very little to do with brainwashing. I've never actually met an Islamic fundamentalist, it would be most impressive if they've managed to brainwash me (a process that usually takes a concentrated effort over a long period of time).
I would say believing that you do know what is right or moral and proceed to do it no matter who gets in the way is a far bigger problem. In fact, this is what both sides of the conflict are doing and the very reason it's still going.
Did I say I didn't see it? I may not agree with it, but it doesn't mean I can't try to understand it. Furthermore, I'm still not sure how bombing entire nations over it is supposed to solve anything (and so far, it has if anything made it worse), and I'm sure in certain parts of the world, people consider that to be an immoral, brainwashed, misguided way of thinking. It's all a matter of your point of view. I don't believe in things being inherently right or wrong, and that includes things such as our concept of religious freedom. It doesn't mean I don't prefer it, but it does mean that I'm not going to push it on those that don't. If they want it, great. Help them by all means, but the decision has to be theirs, not ours.
You seem to be under the impression that I don't view suicide bombers etc. as a problem. That is quite incorrect. I simply don't think that the reason is because Islam is a horrible, evil religion. I believe it's because these people have a reason to do what they do, and religion is a convenient excuse for the mainstream terror (there are of course groups that this doesn't apply to, but you can find these groups in pretty much any major religion, it's not a problem specific to Islam). What this reason is, I don't know exactly, but I am fairly certain that the west has something to do with it. Perhaps that was because Islam did something to them, which was done because the west did something to Islam etc., but no matter who started it, no one is doing much to end it. If they had no problem with the west in general, I doubt even Allah could convince many of them to blow themselves up in his name. Islam doesn't speak of killing infidels a whole lot more than Christianity does.
