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Why do terrorists hate us so much that they are willing, even eager, to die while inflicting upon us tremendous strife and devastation? Many are asking this question. Most answers I hear are related to religion, ethnicity and perceived victimization. All these, no doubt, play a role. But I believe that the main cause of terrorism is resentment. Most terrorists come from extremely poor countries. They see how we in rich countries live, and are resentful. Resentment turns into frustration and eventually despair. A despairing person is easy prey to radical fanatics.
If resentment is the cause, reducing resentment should decrease the number of terrorists and thus help win the fight against terrorism. How do we do this? We need a multi-prong strategy. But for people in business, the answer is: By building an anti-terrorism economy featuring anti-terrorism businesses. What will anti-terrorism businesses be like? They will enshrine the concept of helpfulness and apply it in a big way to individuals and companies in the poor countries of the world. This is not idealism. This is a practical way for business people to fight terrorism while at the same time strengthening their own bottom line. Resentment Breeds Terrorism In the free world we have the richest countries in the world. Their peoples have mastered the arts and the sciences. They have developed sophisticated technologies, products, systems and services that fuel their vibrant economies. They have produced millionaires and billionaires. They live in big houses and have a plethora of gadgets to reduce drudgery, keep them mobile, and supply entertainment. Life is good! In contrast, people in poor countries, are not too gainfully employed, live in thatched or mud huts (if they have a home at all), don't have enough money to buy food, and are subject to floods, disease, AIDS, and brutal neighbors. Life is fiendish. The rich countries have perhaps 15% of the Earth's population. Yet they produce 88% of the users of the Internet. Many of the remaining 85% of the people in the world have never used a telephone. Religion is not the primary cause of terrorism. Poor, frustrated people turn to religion for solace. However, there is a limit to the amount of solace they may get if they have nothing to eat. So they become radicals. They become terrorists. What do they have to lose? They become martyrs. How to Reduce Resentment There will always be some resentment of rich and powerful people and of rich and powerful nations. But the amount and intensity of resentment may be reduced greatly if poor people and countries become more prosperous. Yes, rich countries have established the IMF and the World Bank to help the poor countries. But every time these financial institutions offer a loan it comes with such tough conditions that rarely can a country abide by them and still grow its economy. The trouble with these financial institutions is that they are based on the principle: > The rich should help the poor The implication is that the rich know best what to do and how to do it. They feel superior because they are helping these inferior people. For poor countries to be made more prosperous we must use the following principle: > The rich should enable the poor to help themselves Instead of making plans, allow them to make their own plans. Instead of teaching them how to do things, set up an environment that enables them to learn. Instead of selling them sophisticated technology, help them develop their own technology.
Build a world economy that fights terrorism by making the economy as inclusive as possible, thus enabling poor countries to grow and prosper. This will produce more optimistic people, people less eager to become terrorists and martyrs. Take a look at our recent economies; 1 - INDUSTRIAL ECONOMY - We had an industrial economy only in rich countries. Poor countries were used primarily to obtain raw materials for use in industrial products for the rich. Colonialism subjugated and impoverished poor countries further. 2 - NEW ECONOMY - Some called it the Information Economy. I called it the Learning Economy. But again, primarily the rich were part of this economy. Poor countries, who were hungering for information and learning, did not have the wherewithal to participate. The main focus of companies has been on serving the rich market. The reasoning has been: Rich people have money to spend, so let us dream up gadgets and services to sell them. They forget, however, that poor countries represent a vast untapped market. Globalization has been touted as a boon to all. But in practice, Globalization has meant the ascendance of multi-national corporations, not the growth of many small companies in all countries. So I think we should start building an 3 - ANTI-TERRORISM ECONOMY - The purpose of this economy should be to replace terrorism candidates with peace candidates, illiterates with doctorates, and starving nations with booming nations. This can be done by infusing our efforts toward Globalization with the spirit of helpfulness: > Globalization with a Local Face Anti-Terrorism Business An anti-terrorism business markets to the world, not merely to rich countries. It does its marketing by following the 3 principles of Helpfulness Marketing: 1 - LEARNING - Help poor countries learn. They need to learn about agriculture, small business, and about AIDS. We talk a great deal about distance learning. Why not go the distance to poor countries? 2 - COOPERATION - Help them build their infrastructure, so they may use the Internet. Leap frog their telephone systems to wireless technology. The poor need wireless for fundamental learning tasks, not for talking to their refrigerators, as the rich are planning to do. 3 - COMMUNITY - Make the poor part of your community. Form alliances and partnerships. Work together on common projects. Anti-Terrorism Business Examples Examples of anti-terrorism businesses do exist. Here are 3: 1 - NOVICA - This company travels all over the world in search of local crafts: ceramics, jewelry, paintings, clothing, games, sculptures, music, dolls, basketry, lacquerware, etc. Beautiful items from developing countries are offered for sale. Novica makes a fair profit and so do poor artisans. 2 - RAINTREE - Raintree works in partnership with indigenous Amazon tribes to develop sustainable resources to advance their income as well as the income of Raintree. According to Raintree, the following statistics show the gain: Raising Cattle - $ 60/acre Timber - $ 240/acre Sustainable Resources - $2,400/acre The sustainable resources they work on are medicinal plants, from which Raintree obtains all sorts of pharmacological products. Raintree is stopping the destruction of rainforests, increasing the income of indigenous people, and making a good profit! 3 - WORLD E-INCLUSION - Hewlett-Packard is investing a billion dollars to search for "local knowledge" and "creative genius" all over the poor areas of the world. The company wants to help the developing countries develop. It says it will choose projects based on the needs of local people, develop them in partnership with local people, and offer sustainability and fair value. HP plans to do well by doing good. It is instructive to quote Carly Fiorina, CEO of HP, with regard to the World E-Inclusion program: "HP has always believed that we can do well economically and do good socially at the same time. In other words, invent for the common good. We believe World e-Inclusion is a great example. As part of a long-term HP effort to find new revenues one, three, five and ten years down the line, World e-Inclusion targets the 4 billion people that are seldom, if ever, served by traditional information technology companies. By providing people with the social and economic opportunities of the new information economy, World e-Inclusion is setting the stage for tremendous growth, both for HP and for developing countries." Hooray for HP! It is a model for the rest of us. Summary Fight terrorism by reducing the number of poor people that fuel terrorism. Reduce resentment and despair by building an anti-terrorism economy consisting of anti-terrorism businesses like HP, that aim to use the principles of Helpfulness Marketing - LEARNING, COOPERATION and COMMUNITY - to bring prosperity to the poor as well as to themselves.
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