My Plan for Civilization by ZR

Civilization as we know it unfortunately is moving in a downward spiral. The violence is spinning out of control within and among many countries. This was manifested; most tragically for Americans in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. As for the rest of the world is concern violence is nothing but a common issue. Israelis and Palestinians take the form of an age-old bloodlust that threatens to set off nuclear exchange between West and East. For the Balkans, it is the enmity of religious and ethnic factions only kept at bay by U.N. peace forces. For India and Pakistan, it has materialized in renewed hostilities between Hindus and Muslims and the tug of war over the rights to Kashmir; and for North Korea and South Korea it has developed into a frightening nuclear escalation. Meanwhile, Iraq's promise to defend itself against the U.S. military points to the possibility of chemical and biological warfare. Violence seems to be inevitable. 

If we look to the world's leaders, we see posturing about military strength, increased use of high-tech weaponry to contain enemies, and peace talks that end in failure. Quite simply, our leaders merely reflect their people when the world is full of stress, negativity, and tension. A new paradigm must be introduced to bring about a solution to this senseless use of violence as a means to achieve lasting peace. The message is very simple yet at the same time can be very complex. Neutralizing the acute ethnic and religious tensions that fuel violence, social conflict and terrorism can only solve the problem of world peace. We need to set up a system or take certain initiatives to avert further escalation of global violence, and conflict that would insure perpetual world peace, a world in which all peoples would live in harmony. 

In agreement with Juergensmeyer, there are five scenarios that can help solve the problem of religious terror and violence; cracking down on terrorists, forceful eradication of terrorists, secular authorities embracing moral values, separation of religion from politics, and the winning of violence towards terrorism.

     After the attacks on September 11, the U.S. and world realized that terrorism needs to be taken seriously. Any hesitation to act can lead to a theater of terror that can be displayed for the world to see again. Cracking down on terrorism is the first step, and it is happening in those areas where terrorism has hit hardest, or where there are a large number of terrorists. Juergensmeyer talks about how getting tough with terrorists doesn't usually work, but by the order of our world leaders, it does attempt to scare off terrorists, which is a sign of improvement (pg.237).

After cracking down, what goes hand in hand with that is forceful eradication of terrorists. Both scenarios are a bridge for one another. Letting them know that we will not back down, and we will fight for justice is one way of eliminating terrorism. The U.S. military response after the Sept. 11 attacks is a prime example of this strategy. Juergensmeyer says, “The threats of harsh punishments and military occupation of terrorist-supporting regimes have been recommended by some policy makers as deterrents against terrorism” (pg; 237).

Now if secular authorities embrace moral values there would be a decrease in hostilities, which in turn can reduce terrorism. When there is a mutual respect and trust between people, they can work together to find a solution to the problem. “Where moral values are not disregarded but taken into consideration, and if people see this, and it continues to occur over a long period of time, than society will grow out of the behavior it is in now” (J, pg; 243). However, this concept would be very difficult to overcome. It would be asking all the major leaders of their respective groups and their members as well, to take a step back and take an initiative to really look at who your “enemy” is.  Doing this would be a major accomplishment. To get everyone to respect another or at least try to understand who they are as people would definitely be a difficult task. I think people have found it easy to be violent in hopes of accomplishing a goal, rather then being non-violent in getting ones point across.

The separation of religion from politics is another important factor for achieving world peace. How so? Politics and religion go hand in hand. World leaders make political decisions based on their personal religious beliefs. It goes without saying that many people may not agree with the decisions being made, which can lead to a hostile environment. Many countries have tension with the U.S. because they feel that the U.S. is imposing their ideas and values on others. Many people like Osama bin Laden feel threatened by this, which in turn can lead to terrorism. Also, whatever religion politics seems to favor in a particular region will have opposition from other religions in that region. Juergensmeyer states, “…regard the social manifestation of cosmic struggle to be at the very heart of their faith and dream of restoring religion to what they regard as its rightful position at the center of public consciousness.”

Now I am not in favor of violence, but under certain circumstances it needs to be done in order to prevail. "It is when the violence is used as a leverage in political negotiation and the causes behind the struggle are met" (J; pg.238). If negotiating, or peace treaties do not work, than sometimes there is no choice. Juergensmeyer mentions, “This is the outcome for which every religious activist, understandably, has yearned”(pg; 238). Although these activists have yearned this, there can’t be any true negotiating or agreement or the terrorists will always know to use this weapon to get their way.
    
These are several factors, which can help reduce terrorism, and increase world peace, but the journey is far from over. I personally do not think it is possible to completely end all terrorism. Unfortunately, violence will always be there. However, through strategic planning, understanding others, and embracing moral values can definitely help make a difference in the world.