The Big Idea: Want to Fight Terrorists? Try Mocking Them.
By Carlos Lozada (THE WASHINGTON POST, 29/03/09):
With the Taliban regaining strength and Osama bin Laden still on the loose, President Obama announced a new strategy Friday to “disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaeda” in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In addition to new funding for Pakistan’s democratic institutions and more U.S. troops to train the Afghan security forces, here’s another anti-terrorism tactic the president might consider: Make al-Qaeda boring.
In an essay in the April issue of the British magazine Prospect, Jamie Bartlett of the think tank Demos and McGill University psychologist Michael King contend that violent extremism often appeals to young Muslims because it seems to offer “adventure, excitement and notoriety.” Puncturing this swashbuckling image is critical in the fight against terrorism, they say.… Seguir leyendo »