Terror is an Verb, not a Noun

What is becoming abundantly clear to all but the most obtuse observers is that the 'War on Terror' (WOT) is creating just as much fear and contains just as many compromised intentions as the terrorists themselves have. This isn't so much an issue of tactics on the ground, in which Western moral superiority may well exist (in the absence of reliable media, we will never know). It is more the chosen battlegrounds- is it really a case of confronting threats to our security, or are they in fact being made so tremendous as to be unmanageable? Is it in fact for us more a war over territory at the end of the day, rather than one over ideas?

Whilst militant groups claim to fight for their nation's sovereignty and freedom, they really want the power to impose their own religious ideals on a subject population.

Meanwhile, those fighting them militarily have confused it with other national objectives, such as energy needs and the balance of geopolitical power. From such a perspective, the 'WOT' is little more than a smokescreen for other objectives and the maintenance of a costly military machine that provides employment to millions. In fact, power in it's various forms seems to be overriding concern, one which is only loosely connected with actual security.

For all this, great changes may well come about through and with these conflicts. This is not in any way to justify them, just a reminder that the cloud of destruction may well have a silver lining. As people awaken to the horror of of war, if becomes increasingly hard to contemplate. Whilst many suffer in these localised conflicts, a mature and effective pro-peace movement may well stave even more costly ones off.