Genocide. It's a scary word. When you hear it, images of Hitler, concentration camps, and swastikas come about. So why do I bring it up? Because it is defined as the following:
genocide - The systematic and planned extermination of an entire national, racial, political, or ethnic group.
We are in the midst of a war. A so-called War On Terror. A war to abolish terrorism in every recognizable form. By doing so, we target a group of people with similar beliefs... those who believe that extreme acts make bold statements. Their acts are often direct causes of injury and death in both small and large scales. So how do we stop it? The common answer is to kill them all. ALL!
Is this at all possible? The United States and its Allies possess incredible military strength. At our leisure, we can press a few buttons and destroy the entire human race (along with quite a few other species as well). But, how do we do the same with just terrorists? How do we pick and choose these people out of billions, pop a bullet in their heads, and finally feel safe? We simply can't. It would be like declaring war on people who didn't like lima beans. Like trying to extinguish every single cockaroach, flea, ant, and rat in your apartment and making sure they never come back again. Impossible.
Violence is a continuous cycle... "An eye for an eye." Terrorists have hit us in the past and made an enormous impact on 9-11. Fueled by anger and newfound patriotism, we hit them back. Sure, the newspapers always tell the public about our successful attacks, and seemingly, we are winning this war. Perhaps we will not see another huge terrorist act in ten, twenty, or thirty years. BUT... one day it will happen again. A sudden attack in the heart of our beloved country. They might even be planning it right now... scary isn't it. But don't fear! We'll hit them hard again!! And the cycle will continue... forever.
Terrorists are, by definition, violent. I'm sure they understand its cyclic nature. They want us to hit them back so that they can retaliate further. That is why I think they are winning. They obviously welcome violence and believe they can benefit from it. That's why I think we should be the moral leaders of the world and not just the biggest gun. Unfortunately, political superpowers are built with two things... blood and money. But guess what? Terrorism is built with the same two things. We are only at peace with ourselves because we believe we are doing good.
