Terrorism Is Like A Cancer

The title of this post links to a thought-provoking article that suggests a different way to view terrorism.

We need to understand how the terrorists operate and sustain themselves. Al Qaeda is not like any enemy we have ever faced and therefore our national responses will be unlike any we have ever given. While Al Qaeda is obviously capable of great violence, it may be likened to a virus that has already infected the world's systems of commerce, travel, finances, politics and communications.

The first step in staunching the spread of the cancer, is to understand the reason it is growing.

The process is similar to angiogenesis in cancer, where a tumor takes over control of the body's ability to produce blood vessels for the sole purpose of nourishing itself. One way doctors spot tumors is by finding unusual concentrations of blood vessels feeding the growing malignancy. [Donald] Sensing's [Winds of Change] comparison of Islamic terrorism to a virus, if correct, makes a nonsense of claims that that Islamic militants are infiltrating the West in retaliation for Iraq or even the supposed provocations of Israel. The infiltration is occuring for entirely independent reasons: to provide nutrients for the malignancy or to turn ordinary systems into their purposes.

Understanding the analogy of terrorism as cancer turns conventional wisdom about how to eradicate it on its head. A widely-held belief is that if only the West provided more aid, support, freedom, etc. to Muslim countries they would leave us alone. This is empirically untrue. Some examples of aid we've provided to Muslims in the recent past: 1) the war in Bosnia to save Muslims from Serbian Christians, 2) the failed mission to Somalia that was intended to deliver humanitarian aid to a Muslim population, 3) billions of dollars in foreign aid to various Muslim countries and the Palestinian Authority, 4) financial and rescue assistance after the tsunami of 12/26/05, 4) the expenditure of blood and treasure to liberate millions of people from a cruel and despotic dictator in Iraq, and the ongoing rehabilitation of a dilapidated infrastructure that had been neglected for three decades, etc. What dividend have we received from our actions?

I'm not suggesting that we discontinue our acts of goodwill. However, this article suggests that, not only will "doing more good" not ensure peace, it may exacerbate the problem it is intended to eliminate.

Consequently, in reverse of expectations, the more material one provides to the disease -- Islamic terrorism by analogy -- the less ameliorative its effects. Welfare benefits would be received, not with gratitude but to fund militancy; council housing used to host bomb factories; UN relief grants used to pay for Hamas banners that say "Gaza Today. The West Bank and Jerusalem Tomorrow".

Successfully combating the terrorism disease must involve implementation of a comprehensive strategy that cuts off the blood flow from all sources that nourish it. Thankfully, President Bush understands the nature of the disorder. His remedy--the Bush Doctrine.

We will direct every resource at our command -- every means of diplomacy, every tool of intelligence, every instrument of law enforcement, every financial influence, and every necessary weapon of war -- to the disruption and to the defeat of the global terror network. This war will not be like the war against Iraq a decade ago, with a decisive liberation of territory and a swift conclusion. It will not look like the air war above Kosovo two years ago, where no ground troops were used and not a single American was lost in combat. Our response involves far more than instant retaliation and isolated strikes. Americans should not expect one battle, but a lengthy campaign, unlike any other we have ever seen. It may include dramatic strikes, visible on TV, and covert operations, secret even in success. We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them one against another, drive them from place to place, until there is no refuge or no rest. And we will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime.