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Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=44867
The Undercurrents Fueling Terrorism
(Israel Hayom) Maj. Gen. (ret.) Gershon Hacohen - Despair and alienation are not the only reasons for terrorism - hope is also a motive. Islamic State says this is the moment to act and this opportunity must not be missed. If we are wise and successful in sowing doubt in their minds that the time has not yet come, we may thwart the jihadists' plans. Islam perceives Western society as decaying and declining. This perception stems first and foremost from the significant decline in birth rates in the West, which Islam views as the weakness of an ailing society. Western countries' growing reluctance to use force and their preference for using "soft power" - diplomacy - in the belief that a positive outlook can solve any crisis, are also viewed as a weakness. The manifestation of the West's weakness is what sparks hope in terror operatives. Western society must examine a change in its way of life so that it makes it clear to its enemies that their time to act has yet to come. This will not change the vision of radical jihadists, but it just may prompt them to postpone their violent struggle to another time. The writer served in the IDF for 42 years, commanding troops in battle on the Egyptian and Syrian fronts.