The ultimate, final way to victory in the "War on Terror."

[WilliamPitt]

From the Washington Post:

World Bank Lists Failing Nations That Can Breed Global Terrorism
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/14/AR2006091401859.html

"The number of weak and poorly governed nations that can provide a breeding ground for global terrorism has grown sharply over the past three years," reads the first sentence of the article below. It is in this report that we find both the root cause, and the ultimate solution, to the phenomenon of global terrorism.

Despite all Bush administration hyperbole to the contrary, the root causes of terrorism have little to do with "enemies who hate freedom," or "enemies of democracy," or even extremist fanatics pledged to a 7th century interpretation of Islam. These are symptoms, but not the disease.

The disease, simply, is poverty, and war, and unending violence, and the absence of education or opportunity. It is in the desperate, scrabbling hopelessness of poverty and despair that terrorism is birthed.

It is the absence of options beyond a promised reward in the hereafter that builds the lines of volunteers seeking martyrdom, for if there is no hope in this life, why not seek the next life by stepping through the crucible of a death-dealing suicide explosion?

A number of Bush administration officials are quoted in this article, commenting upon the findings. If they understand the truth of the matter, however, they do not show it. All too often in American politics, throughout our whole existence, it has been far too easy to try and bomb and strafe our way out of a problem instead of attempting to do the hard thing. This is as true today as it has ever been.

The "War on Terror" will not be won by armies, will not be won through violence. The end of terrorism will come when we, as a global community, choose to eradicate the crushing poverty and despair that dominates so much of this world, that drives the economies of the elite nations by way of access to cheap labor pools which have no rights


The number of weak and poorly governed nations that can provide a breeding ground for global terrorism has grown sharply over the past three years," reads the first sentence of the article below. It is in this report that we find both the root cause, and the ultimate solution, to the phenomenon of global terrorism.

Despite all Bush administration hyperbole to the contrary, the root causes of terrorism have little to do with "enemies who hate freedom," or "enemies of democracy," or even extremist fanatics pledged to a 7th-century interpretation of Islam. These are symptoms, but not the disease.

The disease, simply, is poverty, and war, and unending violence, and the absence of education or opportunity. It is in the desperate, scrabbling hopelessness of poverty and despair that terrorism is birthed.

It is the absence of options beyond a promised reward in the hereafter that builds the lines of volunteers seeking martyrdom, for if there is no hope in this life, why not seek the next life by stepping through the crucible of a death-dealing suicide explosion?

A number of Bush administration officials are quoted in this article, commenting upon the findings. If they understand the truth of the matter, however, they do not show it. All too often in American politics, throughout our whole existence, it has been far too easy to try to bomb and strafe our way out of a problem instead of attempting to do the hard thing. This is as true today as it has ever been.

The "War on Terror" will not be won by armies, will not be won through violence. The end of terrorism will come when we, as a global community, choose to eradicate the crushing poverty and despair that dominates so much of this world, that drives the economies of the elite nations by way of access to cheap labor pools that have no rights.

The United States of America, if it chooses to, can lead this frontal assault upon the real manufacturer of terrorism and terrorists. We can win this so-called war and craft a world worthy of our best ideals and greatest hopes.

President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, during his famous speech at American University, spoke with timeless eloquence of these possibilities. "What kind of peace do I mean," said Kennedy, "and what kind of a peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana, enforced on the world by American weapons of war. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, and the kind that enables men and nations to grow, and to hope, and build a better life for their children."

"Not merely peace for Americans," he said, "but peace for all men and women. Not merely peace in our time, but peace in all time. For in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's futures. And we are all mortal."

We can do this, we can do all of this, if we choose to. We have the resources, and no person living on this Earth should question the will of this nation once it is aroused to accomplish a goal. It can be done, but until our leaders see this truth and bend our efforts toward that goal, we will be trapped in an endless spiraling catastrophe of blood and revenge and hatred and desperation. If we continue to attack the symptoms while ignoring the disease, we will chisel our own doom onto the tablets of history.

[truedelphi]

1. Your words seem to overlook (and so does this world bank)

The fact that most of the leading terrorists around are not suffering from material poverty but poverty of the spirit.

The monsters at the top - the political leaders who we know and hate, with their soul's baggage of greed and lack of caring for others, down to the overly achieving Super mOms and Super Dads who would just as well kill their daughter or son's opposing teammates for not letting their kids' team win.

The affluent society has forgotten how to relate to each other. The constant emphasis on achievement and more achievement, not for fun or enjoyment but just as an inner striving to always be in control and perfect.

[The Magistrate]

2. What An Odd Reply, Sir

One might as well suggest that because Lenin and Mao were from bourgeois backgrounds, and grew up in comparative affluence, that the poverty and desperation of great numbers in Czarist Russia and War-Lord China had nothing to do with the Communist revolutions in those lands. The leadership of revolutionary movements almost always comes from higher social strata, as those dwelling in the depths are generally too crushed by the burden of their daily lives to conceive such a project. It is through an appreciation of the sufferings of those less fortunate than themselves, and as a project in aid of them, that these people always conceive their movements, and these movements do not flourish without the fly-wheel of mass discontents to keep them going once set in motion.

[razors edge]

3. absolutely correct.

castro rich family

bin laden rich family

and on and on. as the poor may provide the cannon fodder, the rich and higher educated typically provide the leadership as their time away from menial chores allows reflection on larger problems.

almost all tyranny succeeds on the divide and conquer strategy, and it is no different in the us, when this strategy fails, for any of a million reasons, then revolution becomes more viable an option.

[truedelphi]

6. Well I was more or less thinking of Bush, and all his

Many minions. Bush's family was affluent. Although some of his colleagues in crime are from middle class families (like Karl Rove) none grew up in abject poverty.

It just came out in yesterday's news that Syria believes that the recent (averted) attack on the
American Embassy in Damascus was a plot created by our CIA.

At least one other country has announced similiar findings inthe last 48 hours.

In the sixties and seventies, at least a dozen "terrorist" attacks in Italy were later
on discovered to be American CIA creations (Which is why Italy arested 13 CIA agents in 2005 (or maybeit was 2004)

My belief on terrorists and terrorism is that since so much of what is in the news as terrorism,
is CIA-driven, that even if tomorrow Giant Fairies in the sky eliminated starvation, lack of education,
lack of drinking water, lack of employment, etc. the CIA would still be there stirring things up.

Bin Laden = CIA operative (originally - though some speculate he is still CIA)

Castro and Ho Chi Minh originally both asked the USA to help them in their struggles to achieve democracy - it was only when this nation refused to help them, that they turned to more socialistic forms of government. Both men were educated (Ho Chi Minh had been a student in our country)
and relative to the social structures of their respective nations they were middle class.

[Parche]

4. war on terror

We all need to quit using their phrases like

"war on terror"
"homeland security"

It just emboldens the right wing when we use those words and phrases

[PATRICK]

5. This is bad?

That is likely the response from many now on top, the ones not harboring at least privately, some decent hope for humankind. Poverty, war, violence and tyranny are all desireable tools and results of aggressive conservatism. Nations that produce these have proved so useful and profitable and self-debilitating that re-introducing all these things back into happier countries has become the cause of the century- not dealing with population increase issues, health issues, or global warming. All of those things warned about in the study are on the increase HERE, deliberately and with strong motivation.

The article suggests the US "leaders" are mistaken about the causes of terrorism. Maybe that is a tad naive and someone forgot to bring a mirror. In any event, preparations for dealing with humanity- if not humanity's ills- are being aligned to produce a great deal more of what causes those evils.

[Name removed]

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