What are you willing to die for?

Why should you in the United States care about what happens in some far off, exotic city like Mumbai? The truth is were the attacks in Mumbai, India, to be reproduced in Manhattan, New York or any other American city, they would have been just as successful.

Roughly 10 young men armed with semi-automatic weapons and grenades went on a 60-hour killing spree that forced the world media to focus on the threat of terrorism. The terrorists brought along dried fruit and almonds to keep their energy up.

These men were well-trained, well-informed and used light inflatable boats to reach the Mumbai ports, where they disembarked. Several Indian witnesses said they had noticed the strangely dressed armed men and asked them what they were doing. The gunmen reportedly told them to mind their own business.

More than two days later, over 175 were killed and twice as many were wounded. The men specifically targeted the Mumbai Chabad house, a Jewish Lubavitch home where two Americans were reported to be tortured before execution. An infant escaped the same fate, thanks to a courageous nanny.

At Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, a major train station where thousands of everyday Indians were returning home, two terrorists opened fire and threw grenades. At least 10 people were killed. At the same time, two other terrorists held hostages, including several foreigners at the renowned Taj Mahal hotel.

Since the attacks, the world has heard the tales of witnesses and the wounded who escaped the carnage, but the truly amazing part of the Mumbai attacks was the reaction of the victims.

Before the authorities arrived, no one attempted to challenge or stop the gunmen who were indiscriminately killing.

There are several accounts of hotel guests cringing in darkened restaurants, hoping the terrorists would pass them by. At the Oberoi Trident hotel, 40 hostages were held at gunpoint by at least one gunman.

I have yet to hear any tales of any of the hostages attempting to resist.

Lashkar-e-Taiba, the terrorist group suspected of organizing the attacks, has promised to "plant the flag of Islam in Tel Aviv, Dehli and Washington."

The gunmen responsible for the Mumbai Massacre were willing to fight and die for their cause. What are we, in the West, in the United States, willing to fight and die for? Global warming, same-sex marriage or the next big sale at Wal-Mart?

The vicious attacks on Mumbai are a watershed moment that demonstrate the current asymmetric security situation.

In Iraq or Afghanistan, what happened in Mumbai would not have lasted 60 minutes, much less 60 hours. Gunmen strolling down the streets of Baghdad would have become target practice for the many armed Iraqis. It is curious that Manhattan, a modern, wealthy city, is more vulnerable to a Mumbai-type assault than Baghdad, a war-recovering, poorer capital.

I hope there were men in Mumbai who stood up to the terrorists. If there were none, it pains me to recognize that the men of America may not have reacted differently.

During the attacks at Virginia Tech, where one self-absorbed idiot killed almost two dozen people, the young men at that institution of higher learning all thought it was more "intelligent" to attempt to flee their classroom through the window or play dead rather than to stand up and fight. Only a senior citizen professor who had survived World War II attempted to block the path of that terrorist. He paid for his courage with his life. The others in the classroom died like sheep to slaughter. The gunman/student eventually killed himself. And Newsweek later ran the stories of the "heroes" who survived the "tragedy."

For the many supporters of terrorism, the men who carried out the Mumbai Massacres are to be celebrated as heroes and courageous martyrs. They will inspire others to fearlessly follow in their footsteps. What inspiration is there for those who oppose terrorism?

"War therefore is an act of violence to compel our opponent to fulfill our will," wrote the European war strategist Carl von Clausewitz in the 19th century – and although the Prussian general described a different type of conflict, the will to win will always be a necessary element for any type of victory.

The sole surviving terrorist, Azam Amir Kasav, said the original goal of the assault was to kill up to 5,000 people. Right now, there is a battle being waged. The enemy has the will to fight and die for his cause. We who are the intended target must find our own causes worthy of at least as much sacrifice.