Re-thinking: Fighting Terrorism

AP

Economist Muhammad Yunus accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on Sunday for his breakthrough program to lift the poor through tiny loans, saying he hoped the award would inspire "bold initiatives" to eradicate a problem at the root of terrorism.

Yunus, a 66-year-old Bangladeshi, shared the award with his Grameen Bank, which for more than two decades has helped impoverished people start businesses by providing small, usually unsecured loans known as microcredit.

When most of us think of fighting terrorism,we think fighting those who are past the point of changing their path, we rarely think of fighting terrorism by helping the poor.

Just as in other areas, prevention is cheaper than waiting for a problem to flair up and then attacking it.

The sort of help that Muhammad Yunus offers is an alternative to the exploitation of the poor (sweatshops, etc.) or the type of aid which does nothing to address the underlying dynamics that foster poverty.

Often simple solutions are ineffective solutions, but sometimes simple solutions are the best solutions. It's just a matter of looking at the problem with true understanding of the underlying dynamics and respect for the humanity of those who may eventually feel so exploted that they are willing to fight any way they can.