How & when to fight terrorism?

Now in India, we see terrorism so close to us. When the bomb blasts started in 1990s, it was a shock. After the initial shock has receded, we do not worry about the blasts as much because they happen in trains, buses, shops and cars. And we as citizens do not know what we can do to fight terrorism.

On the one hand, Government focus is on corrective measure: increase police security measures, install CCTV cameras, equip police force with bomb-detection devices, train commandos. Building awareness of citizens to spot a suspicious activity is where we can perhaps play a small role. But all these measures are corrective. They do not help us prevent terrorism because the source of terrorism is elsewhere.

Sociologists and Social researchers all agree that the root cause of terrorism is in lack of education & lack of employable opportunities for the youth. Fundamentalists merely use this 'root cause' by channelising pent-up frustration of youth towards a target through proven tested tools of religion and philosophy. Hitler used the supremacy of his sect to bring together largest population of army, while today's Taliban uses religion. In 1940s, the only known form of terrorism was launching war against the entire country, while in 200O the war is fought within the country in pockets. Although terrorism form has changed, its essence has remained the same.

Until we human beings therefore muster the patience to address the root cause, we shall have no respite from terrorism. We need to fight terrorism by using preventive measures, by nipping the bud of terrorism. Corrective measures, although necessary, are never enough. Most of us believe that preventive measures are costly.

Now look at the arithmetic of spending on preventive measures versus corrective measures. In the war against Taliban, some 340 missile hawks were used. While a missile costs 840,000 US $, a student's supplies for entire year in Afghanistan costs 20 US$ and teacher's salary is 600 US $ per year. ( And this is just part of war cost!) Greg Mortenson estimates that at a cost of one missile, about 20000 students in Pakistan would have been educated. With that must lesser availability of potential recruits, we perhaps could be spending far less today on fighting the war against terrorism in our countries. In other words, preventive measures are not costly.

However, as you would have noticed, preventive measures take time to bear fruit. One cannot educate a Pakistani youth in a day or month. It takes time. So one has to find the balance between spending time and effort on preventive and corrective measures. If Governments are spending on short-term corrective measures, we as citizens can spend on corrective long-term measures.

Luckily we have an option today. We can help an intrepid climber, Greg Mortenson, who since 1993 has build more than 50 schools in one of the toughest territory of Pakistan and Afghanistan. His site www.ikat.org shows the regions where his schools are running. If you want to read about his courageous journey, please read Three cups of tea. More surprisingly, he has focused on girl's education, which is even better in terms of addressing the basic cause.

We therefore are lucky that we can fight terrorism today by addressing the fundamental cause of terrorism, while Government plays it short-term corrective role. Based on our earnings, we can contribute as little or as much money to Greg Mortenson's institute for building these schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.