Terrorism needs to be tackled
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Editor,
The most recent apparent terrorist plot played out aboard NW Flt. 253 by Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is one more example of closing the barn door after the horse has run out.
How many of these events are going to take place before we, as a nation and as a world, are going to mount a serious, cooperative, comprehensive and effective campaign to stop these terrorist organizations and leaders at the source of the problem rather than always scrambling around afterwards?
Many very eminent and knowledgeable people in this world have been asking this question. Reading their comments and listening to their interviews, it is strange that they get very little press and very little attention by the international community. Why?
What does it take to promote international attention, cooperation, coordinated action and agreement that we need an international body of empowerment to tackle this most serious problem of international terrorism?
Some of my past letters have suggested such a body with ITEM (International Terrorist Elimination Movement). This would be a body of international leaders and thinkers in politics, diplomacy, education, military, economics, religion and social systems from all over the world. Their cooperative efforts would be to develop strategies and programs to eliminate these terrorist organizations at the budding stages of their recruiting and diabolical actions, in short, at the source of the problem.
The reasons terrorist organizations can form, recruit the young and grow are multi-fold — religious fanaticism, economic depravation, social and political unrest, lack of hope and proper educational opportunities and the lure of violence.
All of these things can be addressed through an international movement such as ITEM. It requires some strong organizational leadership and the international political will of many nations to address terrorism at its sources.
It is as simple a concept as that, yet as daunting a task as that. Is it worth it? Of course. Is it being done? No, it certainly is not. Is it needed? The answer seems quite obvious.
Will it be done? That's the big question.
Bob McClellan
Polson
