In this whole debate about whether to withdraw troops from Iraq or not, a lot of noise is being made that by fighting the insurgency there, we are not actually engaged in the "War On Terror" because Al-Qaeda is not operating in Iraq.
I have to admit to having doubts about whether the "War On Terror" is one we should be fighting to begin with.
Nothing is gained by responding to violence with violence. A saying attributed to Confucious goes "Before embarking on a journey of revenge, dig two graves."
So what would happen if instead of dropping bombs, invading nations, kidnapping and torturing people, we engaged in a dialog with those nations where terrorists are being recruited? What if we sought to help those governments improve infrastructure such as roads, power plants and water treatment facilities? What if we helped fund educational institutions and granted small business loans to help stimulate economic growth? What if we did all of this with absolutely no strings attached?
What if instead of being the boot that kicks, we became the hand that fed?
Do we think we would still face the same threat of terrorism as we do today?
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