Capital Killed Communism. It Can Kill Terrorism Too.

I was a Democratic Socialist back at Stanford. Back then, after seeing the movie Reds I was so fired up that I convinced a Soviet studies friend to teach me the words to "The International" in Russian. "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need," were my marching orders (By the way, it looks like Marx might have gotten this phrase from the Bible's Book of Acts. Evidently even he had to take a hit off the opiate of the masses once in a while.)

Years later I am even more committed to leaving the world better than when I found it and to helping the helpless. However I now realize that the Market is not only a powerful force but an inexorable one. As relentless as the ocean, fighting its currents is futile. Instead you have to guide its near limitless force to bring water to the places that are dry.

Terrorism is tied to poverty, ignorance and the resulting anger at the generational perpetuation of those two previous states. I've mentioned here before former C.I.A. bin Laden Unit Chief Michael Scheurer's quote: "We are under attack by Islamic militants for what we do in the world -- not for who we are or what we believe in."

This is what Hitchens and the neocons cannot wrap their heads around and why they continue to endanger the planet with their arrogant folly.

Sure, small handfuls of psychotics are convinced that mini-skirts and deep house music are products of a Western devil and need to be destroyed but we will catch those wackos. What we cannot combat effectively or indefinitely are the disaffected masses easily persuaded by these nuts that we are the source of all that ails them.

I've said here before that a great step to taking some of the rage out of the Arab street - the rage that is making the Arab street so target rich for new terror recruits - would be paying attention to the Palestinians and dismantling our permanent bases in Iraq as we begin a phased withdrawal.

Those are all short and medium-term solutions. However in attacking any dilemma you have to address the short, medium and long-term simultaneously.

In the long-term Western capital and Western culture will win this war. Democracy in some sort of form might come eventually, but clean water, working hospitals and rewarding employment will save more Western lives than any counterterrorism program. If we build a trade school down the street from every madrasa (fundamentalist religious school) very soon more and more locals will choose to learn a skill that will help them feed their family, instead of just how to hate Westerners.

We cannot help the Middle East leave the Middle Ages through the barrel of a gun. Nor can we jam our version of Democracy down their throats. Yet what we can do is let our money bring opportunities, let our culture bring a plurality of ideas. Michael Jackson, Rocky and McDonalds are unstoppable forces that conquered Europe, conquered Asia and will eventually conquer every corner of the globe. A planet completely carpeted with soulless consumerism. Marx was wrong. Religion isn't the opiate of the masses, it's the Big Mac™. Oh well. I guess that's the price we have to pay for peace.