From a conservative
capitalists view point, money, like the Bible, the holy book of the Christians
suggests, answereth all things. Under this school of thought, everything and
everybody, has a price. For the right price, you can purchase loyalty, patriotism,
service and whatsoever. Grandiose and sweet sounding as this adage may seem,
reality often times proves that money may not be such a powerful tool as often
touted.
The value system
of every society or people goes a long way in determining the efficacy of money
or other material possessions as a stimulus. To a people inexplicably attuned
by dogma on a hereafter infused with promises of unimaginable divine riches,
satisfaction of the most intimate physical and amorous pleasures and an
eternity of idleness and fun, the worth of transient cash here on earth will no
doubt be minimal.
Does money
actually have any role in dissuading anarchists from violence? In recent times,
persons with access to enormous wealth have opted to devote all in violent
conflicts towards the pursuit of a place in the much sought hereafter of bliss.
Osama bin Laden for instance expended wealth beyond most people’s imagination on
creating a behemoth of hate; and our local boy, Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, the
Nigerian ‘underwear bomber’ was likewise not restrained in his penchant for
violence by the wealth at his disposal
It is in the
light of the foregoing that one must evaluate the approach of using monetary
incentives to dissuade entrenched innate anarchic drives.
Using the
western capitalist model, where money is a very strong and effective
motivational factor, as a benchmark, governments in Europe and the Americas
have adopted a money-centric approach towards tackling terrorism. In this
adaptation, there appears to be a deliberate willingness to remain blind to
realities, which abound, which indicate that such incentives are at best,
suspect. There appears a willingness to obviate reality and to forcefully
clothe ignorance of a culture not amenable to cash-incentives as ‘expertise’.
Examples of
these can be gauged from the reaction of British and American authorities to
the upsurge in violence across northern Nigeria. Without bothering to inquire into what had
become of several million dollars earlier devoted to the areas of Nigeria where
fundamentalist Islamic terrorists have unleashed mind boggling violence, there appeared
to be a rush to shower more funds on such areas - funds that will eventually,
as proven by what became of past donor/funder grants, disappear into thin air
and later emerge in the pockets of a few oligarchs. A few days after the hellish Boko Haram
attacks in Baga and Bama areas of Bornu States, Lynne Featherstone, Britain's
Minister for International Development, in a visit to Kano, pledged that 60% of
all developmental assistance to Nigeria will be devoted to the northern region.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was soon to
follow suit, concretizing its preference to devote a substantial part of US
developmental assistance to the areas where terrorism seems to thrive.
These guys
still don’t get it!
The funds
being committed will not only disappear like previous largesse, but most
unfortunately, such grants will eventually snake their way to funding terror
activities which constitute the proverbial ‘biting the fingers that feeds you’
scenario.
Of more
immediate worry however, is the recent announcement of huge financial rewards by the
US State Department under its 'Rewards for Justice' scheme, for ‘information leading to the capture’ of so-called high
profile terrorists. Good grief! When will it dawn on Western policy makers that the rules
of engagement must change when you are combating a foe who considers death as
victory? In a society where life and
liberty is valued, a reward mechanism as is being projected makes the world of
sense. How would such mechanism play out with persons who are willing to engage
in suicidal activities?
It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that one easy way these terror outfits can raise funds is for any of the so-called high profile terrorists who have incredulously high bounty’s placed on them, to sacrifice himself (whether by being turned in by one of his henchmen or his position being exposed by a henchman who will ultimately receive the offered bounty). The bounty received will thereafter be deployed to beefing up the resources of the terror outfits via the purchase of more sophisticated weapons from the ever present black-market for illicit weapons, and the rigmarole continues…
Its simply not about the individual terrorist. Throwing good money as bounty on terrorists is clearly counterproductive!
It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that one easy way these terror outfits can raise funds is for any of the so-called high profile terrorists who have incredulously high bounty’s placed on them, to sacrifice himself (whether by being turned in by one of his henchmen or his position being exposed by a henchman who will ultimately receive the offered bounty). The bounty received will thereafter be deployed to beefing up the resources of the terror outfits via the purchase of more sophisticated weapons from the ever present black-market for illicit weapons, and the rigmarole continues…
Its simply not about the individual terrorist. Throwing good money as bounty on terrorists is clearly counterproductive!
Is someone
out there thinking?
Picture: Stop terrorism
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