Violence... The story so far

July 2005

A final solution to terror will involve many thrusts and changes. Perhaps the most important is economic--for two reasons. (1) The Western world will lose if the Bush style of lowering taxes while increasing spending is permitted to continue. It will stop in a true economic disaster when China and other leading lenders bankrolling our profligate ways get fed up. (2) Allowing the Muslim World to continue feudalistic governance that deprives most of its citizens a decent living, or say in their future, will only provide fodder for extremist recruiting for terrorism. Although Osama bin Laden declared a holy war, the reality is that the outcome of this conflict will be determined by its relative economic effects. Like the Thirty Years' War, both sides could be substantial losers.