Trying to understand terrorists through a political prism rather than destroying them is what got us into this mess to begin with.
The notion we can negotiate with or understand them is what makes Jimmy Carter such a laughingstock.
They do not want a political solution; they want to kill us.
Author and academic Clark McCauley believes the war against terrorism can be won only through politics.I'm not looking to change any minds; rather, preserving life and liberty.
McCauley, a psychology professor at Bryn Mawr College, gave an hour-long lecture Monday in Bucknell University’s Trout Auditorium. He painted a complex picture of terrorists’ path to radicalism, offering up no easy answers for why some are willing to give their lives for a political cause. There’s no one reason, McCauley said, for why these small sects of people turn to violence.
But there is a reason for why they’re able to, he said.
“Terrorists need support from the general population to function,” McCauley said, comparing terrorists to the apex of a political pyramid. For every violent radical, he said, there must be hundreds and thousands of sympathizers and justifiers.
By that logic, McCauley said states must battle on the political front to change the minds of supporters of terrorism in order to undercut radicalism.
“Understanding and dealing with terrorism is just as complicated as understanding and dealing with politics,” McCauley said. “In fact, it is politics.”
The professor argued the fact that Muslims overwhelmingly view the United States’ war against terrorism as a war against Islam speaks to America’s failure so far to win the political battle.
“This is a multi-stage game that goes on over a long period of time,” he said.
It may be too late to change Muslim minds, however.
What's even more disturbing than this feel-good pablum is the fact this guy is a Co-Director of National Homeland Security Center.
Great.
No comments:
Post a Comment