Can we be safe and free? The dilemma terrorism creates - Law & Justice

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Jan, 2003 by Gene Stephens

Despite the success of the Marshall Plan, the U.S. embarked on several additional conflicts (Korea, Vietnam) without much success, possibly because leaders lost sight of the road to peace--winning the "hearts and minds" of the people. In this ever-shrinking global village, the isolationism many Americans have craved is simply not possible. What happens in nations halfway around the world does affect life everywhere, including the U.S.

The circumstances that have led to terrorism by radical Muslims are complex and enduring. To some extent, military attacks on them simply strengthen their cause and draw sympathy to them from others. It also makes the most-powerful nation on Earth look like a bully--killing and destroying the property of poor people trying to eke out a living on less than $1 a day. This is no way to win hearts and minds. It is the way to lose friends and allies.

We are quite willing to "weed" out terrorists, but are we as willing and capable of providing the "seed" to alleviate the long-term dilemma? Can we help while respecting other nations' cultures, even when they are alien to our way of thinking? Can we become good neighbors in the international community, accepting our role as a partner, obligated by our position of wealth and power to share our resources and technology, and learning from others what they have to offer that can enrich our lives? The angry imperative, "Kill the infidels," resonates with many of the current multimillions of disenfranchised people in a world which is increasingly separated into haves and have nots, with the divide growing ever wider. Providing assistance without patronizing can reduce the staggering numbers of world citizens in desperate need and mute the siren call of the religious fanatics. Only then, when all are safe--from hunger, homelessness, oppression, crime, and war (including attack from the U.S.)--can we truly be safe.

Gene Stephens, Associate Law & Justice Editor of USA Today, a consulting futurist, is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of South Carolina, Columbia.