War on terror won't be won at the point of a gun alone

Last Thursday's terrorist attacks in Kenya that claimed 16 lives clearly illustrate the danger in having a one dimensional view of the war on global terrorism. President Bush, the architect of this war, and the soon-to-be Republican controlled Congress must recognize the reality of terror: It exists because poor nations with large Muslim populations are fertile recruiting grounds for the disaffected.
Thus, winning the hearts and minds of such people is as important as winning on the battlefield.
When the new Congress convenes, with Republicans in control of the Senate and the House, one of the main issues on the legislative agenda will be foreign aid. There are disturbing news reports that some Congressional leaders are of the opinion that United States should cut back on its financial commitments abroad. We would urge the Bush administration to take a hard line on foreign aid and to seek more, not less, funding for the many programs designed to address the growing problem of poverty around the world.
This is not about bleeding-heart liberalism, or even about U.S. colonial tendencies. It's about our self-preservation.
Consider the Washington Post story about the suicide bombing of the Israeli owned hotel in Kenya's port city, Mombasa.
Poverty
"In Kenya, you can bomb the whole country for a $50 bribe and everyone knows it," the Post quoted 34-year-old Joseph Mutisya, a resident of Mombasa, as saying. "There's a lot of poverty here. People come from all over -- Yemen, Somalia, the Middle East. They bring weapons. They bring whatever they want if they pay a bribe."
The newspaper went on to say: "That kind of Wild West atmosphere, combined with desperate poverty, porous borders and increasing pro-Palestinian feelings among the large Muslim population along Kenya's coast, has made this country an easy target for the kind of terrorist attacks that claimed 16 lives here Thursday, Kenyan officials and Western diplomats say."
The conditions that exist in the East African nation can be found in other Third Word countries with large Muslim populations. That's why the war on global terrorism must be viewed in a broader context. Islamic fundamentalists such as Osama bin Laden to tap into the anger, frustration and hopelessness of the poor in countries such as Kenya, Indonesia and Pakistan.
Terrorists aren't born, they're created. Therefore, the challenge for the Bush administration is to reach the people in the Third World before bin Laden and his Al-Qaida operatives get to them. To do that, the administration and Congress must embark on an aggressive foreign assistance program that addresses the issues of starvation, disease and lack of education.