(Project Syndicate) Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum - We cannot extinguish the fires of fanaticism by force alone. The world must unite behind a holistic drive to discredit the ideology that gives extremists their power. ISIS certainly can - and will - be defeated militarily by the international coalition that is now assembling. But lasting peace requires three other ingredients: winning the battle of ideas; upgrading weak governance; and supporting grassroots human development. What we are fighting is not just a terrorist organization, but the embodiment of a malicious ideology that must be defeated intellectually. With its twisted religious overtones, this pre-packaged franchise of hate carries the power to mobilize thousands of desperate, vindictive, or angry young people and use them to strike at the foundations of civilization. Only one thing can stop a suicidal youth who is ready to die for ISIS: a stronger ideology that guides him onto the right path and convinces him that God created us to improve our world, not to destroy it. The writer is Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai.
2014-09-30 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive