"Economic growth is not a panacea for social ills or political disarray, but policies designed to unleash Pakistan’s economy during the next decade are far more likely to reduce the threat of Taliban-inspired revolution than are military operations and drone strikes. Examples of success exist: Indonesia, which, like Pakistan, has a large Muslim population and implausible borders left behind by imperialists, suffered badly a decade ago from separatist violence, Al Qaeda-linked Islamist terrorists, and poisonous civil-military relations. By riding Southeast Asia’s economic boom, Indonesia has become a comparably bland, democratic archipelago." - Steve Coll
You can lump Iraq and Afghanistan in with Pakistan for this example. People need something to live for, not live in fear of. Bullets and bombs do nothing. It's jobs and schools and markets that will have lasting effects.
No comments:
Post a Comment