Ooh look.. "real" news and honesty...

[walldude]

The West can only contain, not defeat, militant groups such as al-Qaeda, the head of the UK's armed forces has said.

General Sir David Richards, a former Nato commander in Afghanistan, said Islamist militancy would pose a threat to the UK for at least 30 years.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11751888

-snip-

""But Gen Richards told the BBC it was not possible to defeat the Taliban or al-Qaeda militarily.
"You can't. We've all said this. David Petraeus has said it, I've said it.
"The trick is the balance of things that you're doing and I say that the military are just about, you know, there.""

Wow fighting an unwinnable war. Who'd of thought.... oh wait...



Terrorism is like a weed. You are not going to stop it by cutting them down. You need to pull it out by the roots.

[gateley]

1. I'm not sure we can even contain them. Hatred and fear spread

like wildfire.

[csziggy]

2. Weeds grow best in poor ground

If the area is fertilized and desirable plants have sufficient nutrition, fewer weeds have space to grow.

If we spent money on programs that benefited the types of societies that promote the healthy growth and education of their citizens, there would be fewer people who are willing to disrupt society. And it would cost less in the long run that dumping money down the military industrial complex black hole.

We're seeing the result of NOT doing that here in this country right now, so I have little hope that the US will change our way in the world, since we refuse to do it here at home. Domestically, we now spend more per citizen on incarcerating our own citizens than educating children or promoting their healthy growth.

[walldude]

4. AHA! The solution!

You have given me hope my friend.

You are not going to stop terrorism. It's not possible. But somehow I think if instead of spending billions upon billions to bomb the crap out of people we spent that money on education, infrastructure and helping people there would be a lot less terrorists. Stop giving them a reason. Yes it will take time and money but we are spending that time and money now anyway and it's not doing a damn bit of difference.

I agree that it probably won't happen at least in this generation. Hopefully our kids will be a little smarter and less greedy than we are.

[csziggy]

15. Peace Corps should have been able to make a dent

I don't know if anyone has made a study of the countries in which Peace Corps concentrated their efforts and what changes they may have effected over the course of time in the societies they worked with.

The efforts of small business loans and other small scale assistance should be studied, too, though they are a more recent concept.

I do have hopes for the future - my niece who used to want to go into US politics changed her mind and instead of a law degree after she got her Bachelor degree she went for International Studies. She is now working for a NGO as a congressional contact, using her volunteer experience as a congressional intern to ask for funding for her group. Eventually, she would like to work outside the US to help the people of other counties improve their lives.

During her undergraduate studies, she did a semester at sea in which they stopped periodically so that students could volunteer in various places to see other cultures first hand. She did more of that volunteering abroad on her own during the following summers, so she already has had a good exposure to what is involved in working in third world countries.

[Drale]

3. The only way to defeat them

is to educate the next generation about the dangers of fundamentalist religions.

[sally cat]

5. How to accomplish that?

[Drale]

12. I dont know

but thats the only way to do it. Of course a good education for all would propably kill right wing craziness in this country to.

[gratuitous]

6. If it's real news, it's not from a U.S. media outlet

And sure enough . . .

Yes, terrorism is best fought by removing its roots, which means taking away its means of nourishment. If people are safe, secure, and feel there's a future worth living for, terrorists lose what feeds them. Of course, building a better society costs lots of money and takes time, and it can be undone quite quickly by folks with a vested interest in keeping things unbalanced. And, by the way, not everyone interested in chaos is some radical jihadist living in a cave. Some of them wear nice suits and work in tall office buildings right here in the United States.

[walldude]

7. The BBC seems to be one of the only real news sources left

What surprised me was to see more than one response talking about what I feel. That we are going about this all wrong. As usual. With the damn money we have spent on pointless endless wars we could have fixed our nation and then started helping others fix theirs.

No one wants to have Democracy at the end of a gun barrel especially if it's forced on them by someone who can't seem to get their own Democracy in order.

[dkf]

8. So why do those Anti Abortionists Bomb clinics?

Is it because of their economic situation?

[walldude]

9. Because they are simple minded people easily manipulated

by people who use the "Word Of God" to lie, cheat, manipulate and control their "followers". They use God to get rich and they fan the flames of hatred and intolerance to achieve that goal.

What do you think the bible is? The Word of God? :rofl: :rofl: The bible is nothing more than another means of control. It's no holier than any Stephen King book.

[dkf]

11. And why isn't this the situation with all terrorists?

Terrorism needs to be solved by the religious hierarchy. If the top religious figures do not condemn violence and make clear it is unacceptable it will not go away. Religions do need to be responsible for their extremists.

[jancantor]

16. Exactly. Let's remember the 9/11 terrorists as a group, and Osama as an individual

were wealthier and better educated than the average. Significantly so. The idea that if we just give them butter, they'll turn away their guns is simply not true. As long as leaders create terrorist mickey mouses, dress little kids with suicide bomber belts, and create an atmosphere where the ultimate honor is to blow up infidels...

[Monique1]

10. In America we are encouraging the enemy

by the continuing hate here in our own country. This is something they love to see and want.

[Scuba]

13. Exactly. If we only "contain" them, we can keep "containing" them. Indefinately. Profitably.

[Greyhound]

14. Even better, remove that which sustains it. We are the "terrorists"

primary recruitment tool.

[SidDithers]

17. K&R...nt

Sid

[Catherina]

18. So what is your remedy when the US is the biggest terrorist in the world? n/t