Harm Reduction

Anne Applebaum reminds us that starvation might have been the first and remains among the most potent weapons of mass destruction.  Are there other ways that our terrorism conversation opens up new paths to resistance?

Consider this, however.  2.6 million children die of starvation every year.  While horrific, the 9/11 attacks killed 2,996 by comparison.  We all know this and have known it for our entire lives.  And consider that one thing new about today’s focus on terrorism is the shift to taking into account warlike levels of destruction that are perpetrated by so-called non-state actors.

So, why does our war on terror not focus on the weapon of mass destruction mobilized by non-state actors that is actually causing the most harm?

In a context where elites want to shift military resources to focus on non-state actors deploying unconventional weapons against civilians, we define this as terrorism to make it look like something that will support expanding military budgets. 

This is not a war that is actually designed to reduce those forms of non-state (and state) violence using unconventional weapons against civilians…if doing so does not mean spending more tax dollars on drones.  Focus on the actual source of the harm?  Don’t be silly.