Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is defined as the use of violence, or threatened use of violence, in order to achieve a political, religious, or ideological aim.
"Terrorism" comes from the French word terrorisme, and originally referred specifically to state terrorismas practiced by the French government during the 1793–1794 Reign of Terror. [Wikipedia]
Belgium. Four bombs, of which one did not explode. Thirty dead and probably more as some of the wounded succumb. A whole countryterrified. A whole continent threatened with terror. It is a terribletragedy in our midst, and I feel for the people of Belgium as they mourn.
Multiply these numbers by one thousand. Four thousand bombs: a day's work for the forces of the west terrorising Syria. Now keep that up for 1,825 days, or five years and try to imagine what real terrorism is like. 30,000 dead, and you only have a tenth part of the number of dead in Syria during those 1,825 days of terror.
Do similar calculations for Afghanistan, for Yugoslavia, for Iraq, for Libya, for Yemen, for Kurdistan, that undefined area where Iraq, Syria and Turkey meet.
Now ask yourself who are the real terrorists? Go and look in the mirror. Well, you say, I didn't terrorise these countries. But you didn't say no when you voted for the terrorists who are your leaders, and who did. You didn't say no when they sent a gang of armed men and women to perform acts of terrorism in parts of the world which posed no threat to your country, when they terrorised men, women and children whose only dream was to live in peace, have a job to go to, or school for the children, hospitals for the sick, cinemas and theatres for their entertainment. People just like you, in fact.
Think what it has cost to turn these countries into more or less failed states. People are talking of trillions of dollars. Not millions, 000,000, not billions, 000,000,000, but trillions, 000,000,000,000. Imagine what just one of those trillions could have done for the people of Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Kurdistan and Syria if invested in something other than terrorism. And there would have been lots of money over to do the same for you.
Now think what you would do, how you would react, if the west decided to terrorise your country. Wouldn't you want to take the battle to them, to make them feel the pain, the sorrow, the terror they were imposing on you? I am not a religious man, but there is a phrase in the bible which aptly sums up what has happened in France and Belgium, and is almost certainly going to happen in Great Britain and elsewhere in Europe: as ye sow, so shall ye reap.
The fact that is really obscene, but which is not generally known in the west, is that the so-called terrorists, the jihadists, and all the other names one has for these people, were actually created, armed and financed by the west for purposes of western terrorism against countries which had another agenda that the western one. Al Quaida was created, armed and financed by the west to make life hard for the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. When the soviets left Afghanistan the west left Al Quaida to their own devices. Al Nusra was created, armed and financed by the west to change Assad's mind about whose pipeline he would have running through Syria. And it is an established fact that Turkey has been aiding ISIS with weapons, food and finance to say nothing of caring for their wounded, in order to get them to terrorise or hopefully destroy the kurds once and for all. And the Saudis are also supporting ISIS, though not for the same reason. They want to get rid of the shiite areas of the middle east, starting with Syria, and replace them with a sunni realm, which also explains the terrible atrocities they are committing in Yemen.
If there is one thing I would hope for from the terror attacks in France and Belgium it is that Europeans will finally find the balls to tell theirterrorist leaders to turn away from the terrorism tactics in favour in the US, which usually lies behind all these tragedies. Tell the US to go and fight Canada or Mexico, so that they feel the effects of their terrorismmore easily on their own territory. Tell the US to leave the middle east alone and perhaps, in time, when the pain of the victims there has healed, the acts of revenge, like those in France and Belgium will cease.
And perhaps, perhaps, the terrorist leaders of Europe will see that there is another way, and take a leaf out of the Chinese and Russian books. Have you heard about China's plan for a New Silk Road, an investment not even rivalling the trillions wasted by the terrorists of the west, but which will link countries throughout Asia and hopefully also Europe, increasing trade, creating jobs in more than the military supply companies. Probably not. No barging in with guns blazing in that case.
Are you aware that you have Russia to thank for the cease-fire in the Middle East, which Turkey and Saudi Arabia overtly and not least the US covertly are doing their best to undermine? Probably not. And did you know that in a leaked secret report from NATO the precision and effectiveness of the Russian mission in Syria has been praised? Probably not. Washington does not want you to know about these facts.
What do you have the west, principally the US, to thank for? The threat of World War III, starting either in the middle east or the South China Sea. TTIP, the so-called trade agreement which is primarily designed as a cover for the infamous ISDS chapter, which consists mainly of threats for non-compliance with the designs of Washington and the mainly American international companies. And the terror attacks in France and Belgium.
Do not ask me to cover my Facebook avatar with the colours of the Belgian flag. Offer me instead the colours of the Afghan flag, the former Yugoslavian flag, the Iraqi flag, the Libyan flag, the Yemini flag or the Syrian flag. Or even the Palestinian flag. Let us show sympathy for the people of all these countries who are and have so long been exposed to western terrorism.