U2Kitten said:That's another thing I want to bring up, that poverty not only breeds crime it breeds revolution. Hatred and resentment of the class system, and hopelessness of poverty led directly to the French and Russian Revolutions where the poor masses rose up to overthrow- and kill off- the rich ruling class. But again, this is not the same thing as terrorism. In crime, the criminals only want money for their own gain. In revolution, a group of people fight to change the system for (what they think at the time is but doesn't always work out to be) the good of the country. Terrorism is a completely different phenomenon, and I don't have to list the details, you all know how it works. All I'm saying is it's not the same thing as the violence in crime or revolution, both of which ARE direct results of poverty.
I really don't know what else to say here. Al Qaeda would argue it is a revolutionary group. The British, back during the American Revolution, could have argued that the Founding Fathers were leaders of a terrorist organization. The British could also have argued that the Zionists in Israel (prior to Israeli independence) were also terrorists.
For better or for worse, we are considered a facet of "the enemy." Bin Laden is said to have developed his hatred of the U.S. in response to Gulf War I and our military presence in the Arabian Peninsula to implicitly protect the House of Saud, which, I must remind people, is deeply hated by most Saudis.
I'm not here to justify their terrorist behavior, but to, instead, remind everyone that everyone has their motive and they all believe that they are doing "good." No one wakes up one day and decides to kill indiscriminately with no motive.
I cannot say that solving poverty will end the leadership. On the contrary, they are too ideologically motivated. However, there are two things that will likely disarm any potential follower:
1) Having their needs met, which basically means being an active member of a middle class. Most people don't need to be wealthy, but they do expect to have a decent house, job, and money to be happy.
2) Having a government that can be democratically elected. However, #2 here is only contingent on #1 happening. If a government cannot deliver #1, then extremists are likely going to argue that "democracy is a failure" and they will start making wild promises about how they can make their life better....if only they will follow their organization.
If the people have their needs met, then any "terrorist leadership" will be reduced to a fringe group that no one will listen to. Just imagine what the U.S. would be like with rampant unemployment and a citizenry discontented with a dictatorship? I bet that groups like the Michigan Militia would suddenly become very popular.
Melon