A sharing by Alan Ho Chok Chan
A child warrior. Attired like a miniature Arafat, carrying an AK rifle that is taller than him.
The news reported 54 victims killed on a busy street, the perpetrator a child suicide bomber.
Terrorism : a wanton taking of lives. Innocent lives.
A means to bring nations to the negotiating table, or better still, drive the occupiers out of the country.
Terrorism
Terrorism has a long history. When the dissidents or insurgents are too poor to mount an army, when there is gross disparity of firepower between the conflicting sides, terrorism is the method of choice.
It inflicts fear in the mind because the enemy is hidden, he is dressed in mufti, he may be a passenger sitting next to you on a train, a bus; or just another face in a crowded marketplace.
There is no predictability on where or when he will strike. And he is not afraid to die, and in the process, brings many common folks with him.
That, is the psychology of Terrorism.
Terrorism is a hidden war of attrition. It wears conventional armies down : in monetary and human costs.
It just wears the occupying nation down, with no regard for human life.
Wars have been won this way, in Vietnam, in Afghanistan.
The terrorist has the advantage of invisibility, unpredictability, and often has the support of the native population in feeding him, hiding him, and the faith that he will bring them a better tomorrow.
There is no way the superpowers with their nuclear arsenal can bring the humble terrorist to his knees, short of blasting the whole country to stone age.
Anti-terrorism
So, we go back to education, putting food in people’s bellies, equitable distribution of wealth and material goods, better treatment of minorities, equal employment opportunities, giving people a stake in the land of their birth. Nurture a feeling that they belonged.
That, is the psychology of anti- terrorism.
I feel a lot of sadness and despair reading AC Grayling, who, in his latest book said what ails Mankind is : many of us are still having 17th century mindsets, employing 21st century technology, in an attempt to drag all Mankind back to the 17th century.
An old Anne Murray song has this memorable verse : “ Sure could use, a little good news today.”
How true this is.
Dr Alan Ho Chok Chan is a Paediatrician in private Family Practice. He also spends time golfing, swimming, playing tennis, wine tasting, playing guitar and singing. He is also a bibliophile and voracious reader.