Why terrorism?

After the end of the cold war we could have expected a thousand years of peace but tragically death, injury and fear are ever present in many communities as a result of terrorism.
What extremists are trying to achieve is not being clearly articulated by them or understood. What is happening through the West is that Moslems are being alienated and are treated either suspicion. The separation of Moslem communities from the "evil influence" of the West maybe the true purpose of Bin Laden and his nasty crew.
Those in positions of authority in terrorist groups are capable of careful planning and ruthless execution of their schemes but they do not seem to put themselves in harms way. Those who do are like they foot-soldiers in all wars- young, disconnected, Ill-educated and manipulated.
I would suggest that one of the greatest energizing factors for terrorism is the that leaders of terrorism groups have sufficient authority to direct members of the group as the leaders are seen as championing the cause of Islam.
While some form of security operations and limited military campaigns are necessary, I would propose that terrorism originating in Moslem communities relies on a combination of a desire for revenge and ignorance to stimulate the actual perpetrators of terrorist acts.
Fighting terrorism by punishing non-combatants only increases the desire for revenge. Accordingly, the military response must be limited.
In Palestine, Pakistan and Indonesia most people are fearfully ignorant of the freedoms enjoyed by Moslems in western society. It would come as a complete surprise to people in these countries that independant Islamic schools receive government funding in order to operate. The promotion of better standards of living will cut the ground from under those agitating for vengance.
Yet disaffected Moslems have reason for grievances. The policies towards Palestine, Iraq and Iran over the years have been markedly wicked.
Fair balance foreign policy reforms matched with education and infrastructure develoment are clearly the most effective ways of combating terrorism.
Mao, Ché and Ho Chi Minh are the poster boys of terrorism today. To combat terrorism the West must adopt an inclusive approach rather than a combative program.
JP

-- Post From My iPhone

Popular Culture

So much of popular culture seems like a drug for the masses to keep the generic person focused on fashion, celebrity, weird behaviour on reality TV and trivia rather than refined debate, rational analysis, fine art, writing, good music and generally uplifting forms of expression.
There are broadly two ways of looking at this:
People do the selecting and if they didn't want to watch stupid talent shows, stories about celebrities, soap operas, reality TV and formula-driven crime drama they wouldn't. This argument for popular culture as "what the people want" is rather undercut by the fact that "people" are tuning off TV and selecting what they want elsewhere- mainly the internet. The web may or may not be of higher value intellectually than TV but there is a greater variety of content and there we link to the opposing argument.
The media are driven by commercial interwst to attract viewers or readers in the greatest numbers at the lowest production costs. Hence they produce cheap shows aimed at the lowest common denominator, appealing to the basest of human interests and in turn they debase the audience and readeship by promoting interest in puerile, nasty, lurid subject matter.
There is a proposition that the whole point of this is that it enhances those in power to maintain power without real challenge.
That proposition has many layers not just political. Academia is motivated by self-interst to obscure consideration into literature, film and art to make their discipline exclusive and therefore remote from the general parties in the same way political parties do not really want to increase their membership.
In Burma, we see the blunt, maked use of power by thos in control. In the "civilised west" the combination of many, thousdands of people with wealth, with the control of state instrument of power or of the media tend to use them to maintain their control of the means of power to the exclusion of others.
Where is there a true example of a participatory democracy really?