Terrorist Policies Really Do Have Consequences

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Read this:  One of the most frustrating things about politics is the dilemma of getting people (particularly our leaders) to think before reacting to every crisis.  When that crisis is something as devastating as terrorism and possible war, we seem to inevitably be driven by the blinders of our reactive selves.  Consequences of this are explained well in the article linked below from The Nation Magazine, by Tom Engelhardt, explaining how ISIS has “grasped the dynamics of our world, of what makes us tick and especially what provokes us into our own barbarous acts”.  Sadly, as our collective adrenaline sores, we seem to have no ability to rationally choose alternatives.  This is insane as Albert Einstein supposedly said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results”.  Since 9/11 (2001) the US and much of Europe have been on a campaign of destruction, helping “create five failed states (Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Yemen), worlds in which terror groups could thrive and in the chaos of which they could attract ever more recruits”.  Paradoxically, the explanation for why these efforts fail is usually that they didn’t go far enough.

After the attacks in Paris, the collective response seems, once again, to be more bombs, more destruction, more and larger failed states, more refugees to blame.  Sound familiar?  Yes, the record seems to be skipping but will we ever get tired of the same old tune.  Read the article for some alternate perspectives.

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http://www.thenation.com/article/heres-what-not-to-do-after-paris/