Reducing Terrorist Attacks
The United States could take five steps to reduce the risk of terrorist attacks against Americans. The first three should be easy to implement. The last two will encounter political resistance.
Do Not Announce the Killing of 10,000 Muslims
On June 3, 2015, Deputy Secretary of State, Tony Blinken, announced that the US-led coalition killed more than 10,000 ISIS members. For some radical leaning people, that is an announcement that the U.S. killed 10,000 Muslims. It motivates some to justify the killing of Americans in the U.S. and around the world. Consider how Americans responded after Japan killed 2,403 Americans at Pearl Harbor. The U.S. entered World War II. Also, consider how Americans responded after 2,996 people were killed on 9/11. The U.S. entered wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The announcement that the U.S. killed 10,000 Muslims unnecessarily motivates certain people to kill Americans. These types of announcements should be discontinued.
Allow Americans to Leave the U.S.
American citizens who want to leave the U.S. to go to the Middle East and join terrorist groups should be allowed to leave on the condition they give up their U.S. citizenship and have their U.S. passports revoked upon their arrival. Keeping them in the U.S. increases the risk that they will engage in terrorist attacks in the U.S. Letting them leave reduces the risk that they will kill Americans in the United States.
Use Information Technology to Change Minds
ISIS is effectively exploiting social media to reach potential recruits to their cause. They are winning the information technology propaganda war on YouTube, Twitter and other sites. The Federal Government should create and fund a committee of information technology experts in the field to social media to counter the ISIS in the information technology propaganda war. Experts in Islam must serve on this committee.
Make it Harder for Terrorists to Purchase Guns
United States is one of the easiest places in the world for terrorists to purchase guns. The U.S. could require background checks for all gun sales, including gun shows, and not allow sales until backgrounds checks are completed. Congress could re-establish the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, which expired in 2004. This might have saved the lives of five Marines in Chattanooga. In addition, the U.S. Government could use Federal purchasing power to demand that gun manufacturers distribute guns through responsible dealers. Guns recovered at crime scenes come from a disproportionately small number of less reputable gun dealers.
Allow People in the Middle East to Solve Their Own Problems
The U.S. was fully engaged in the Iraq war, which has become a failed effort. The U.S. used limited engagement in Libya, which was a failure. The U.S. adopted no engagement in Syria, which is a failure. The U.S. cannot solve current Middle East problems. People in the Middle East should be allowed to solve their own problems. Their most important division is the religious divide between the Shia, led by Iran, and the Sunni, led by Saudi Arabia. The U.S. has entered this conflict largely on the side of the Shia, which has upset leaders is Saudi Arabia, an American ally. During the Reformation period, Christians killed an estimated 30 million people before resolving differences. Americans should try to understand that there is little the U.S. can do to solve the religious differences in the Middle East. This requires a change in thinking among both Shia and Sunni in the Middle East, which may take a long time.
