By Herbert London
I recently attended a meeting in New York devoted to the proposition that terrorist acts be thwarted with economic development projects. One bien pensant after another waxed lyrical about the benefits of an improved standard of living as a means of modifying radical sentiment. As the chairman of the event noted: “People who have jobs and a decent standard of living are less inclined to commit violent acts against others.”
Surely, I thought, these educated and experienced policy analysts might consider empirical evidence which belies the economic determinist position. After all, the terrorists on 9/11 were not desperately poor or impoverished. In fact, the leader of hijacked flight 93 came from one of the wealthiest families in Lebanon.
It was also the case that the British nationals who were trained in the terrorist activity that led to the devastation of 7/7 were ostensibly middle class Muslims living in a suburb of London. Read more ...
I recently attended a meeting in New York devoted to the proposition that terrorist acts be thwarted with economic development projects. One bien pensant after another waxed lyrical about the benefits of an improved standard of living as a means of modifying radical sentiment. As the chairman of the event noted: “People who have jobs and a decent standard of living are less inclined to commit violent acts against others.”
Surely, I thought, these educated and experienced policy analysts might consider empirical evidence which belies the economic determinist position. After all, the terrorists on 9/11 were not desperately poor or impoverished. In fact, the leader of hijacked flight 93 came from one of the wealthiest families in Lebanon.
It was also the case that the British nationals who were trained in the terrorist activity that led to the devastation of 7/7 were ostensibly middle class Muslims living in a suburb of London. Read more ...
Source: Family Security Matters
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