It has been suggested in the Tribune and elsewhere that we declare war on terrorism itself. Military action is merely a way of fighting terror with terror. It doesn’t stop the killing; it amplifies it.
No society can function without mutual trust and respect. We do not build subways with barriers between the tracks and platform, because we are confident that people will not push each other into the path of an oncoming train. People do not raise their children to do such things. It is physically impossible to erect infallible barriers to suicidal homicide, and we will remain vulnerable to it as long as, somewhere in the world, it is being taught.
We can successfully fight terrorism only by fighting the ideas on which it is based. This can be done by promoting better ideas that are more solidly based on universal principles of human behavior and morality.
