Where to now in the war on terror?

A suggested way forward

My suggestion is the United Nations establishes a forum for representatives of the people who use terror as a tactic to voice their concerns. To voice what is driving them on to commit such horrendous acts against innocent civilians. Innocent civilians who are Christian and Muslim, Hindu and Jew, atheist and agnostic.

We in the West, quite rightly, will not be cowed by or bow to terrorism as a tactic. We will stand and defend what we hold to be sound values. Yet surely, we are also prepared to listen.

We, the people on the ground, the innocent civilians, the foot soldier sent to fight, the emergency workers who have to clear up the corpses, deserve to be clearly told why we are fighting, why we are in danger.

In democratic nations, the people tend to get it right once they know the facts. I would suggest we are not being told the facts, and what we are being told is being distorted through the media. A United Nations Forum could tell us the facts. The “other side” of this “war” will then be able to tell us, will be invited to clearly state their demands. They will identify themselves as the representatives of an identifiable group rather than splinter extremists. And if they are splinter extremists, then at least we will know they have no wider mandate, that all we have to do is find and eliminate them. The problem then goes away.

It is the potential that they represent a broader mandate that is the major concern. Is the source of suicide bombers finite or infinite? Once the “other side” reveals both themselves and their demands, we, the people of the democracies, can then decide if we can live with a negotiated peace or if we will choose to go to war.

At least we will have sought to do it peacefully. We will have clearly shown we are prepared to listen. That, I suggest, would leave the extremist elements nowhere to go within their communities.

It is either that, or trust our leaders are acting in good faith. I make no judgment either way. However, the waters appear to be very muddy. If we are going to put our freedoms and our lives at risk, then we deserve to know that the cause is both just and worthwhile.

Too often, history has clearly shown that wars have not been fought on valid grounds. Too often, history has shown that a genuine commitment by both sides to understanding the concerns of the other would have avoided war.

The choice: a peaceful forum where all sides are invited to talk or, a war on terror.

Are we prepared to listen?