ISIS, Middle East and learning from Marshall

We can learn a lot from Hitler coming to power, and it directly relates to radical Islam. Hitler came to power because of conditions created by the Armistice of the First World War. Essentially, Germany was given the tab for the whole war and had many conditions placed upon it by the British and French. Germans had nothing to lose, were piss poor and wanted to believe in Hitler's words of greatness and being the chosen race of the Übermensch. The same can be said for Islamic fundamentalists. They are living in poverty with nothing to lose, so it is easy to buy into the rhetoric being espoused by the radical elements, giving the disenfranchised youth something to believe in and a sense of purpose - despite how false that is. They feel wronged and someone is telling them a way that sounds feasible - the offer of water to one dying from thirst.

After Hitler was defeated, instead of repeating history (though Germany was cut up by the French, British, Americans and Russians), the West put forth the Marshall Plan which, by rebuilding Germany and creating a better sense of unity within Europe's western nations, offered the hope of a sustained peace. The Soviet Union, as Russia still does today, didn't make that easy. Still, we now have a European Union. When you tabulate the amount of money being spent on war (Iraq cost the U.S. In the trillions alone), and ask: "what if we implemented a similar policy in the Middle East instead of creating more hate through the deaths incurred by collateral damages of dropping bombs on suspected terrorist bases?" When countries like the US brought aid to the areas of Pakistan after their massive earthquake a few years ago, the people were grateful and popular opinion for the West grew. What if we did more things like this - again, Education being paramount?

Simple truth: war does not beget peace. Yes, there are times when war is our only alternative - again, Nazi Germany is a prime example. But peace and Education - the teaching of tolerance and so forth - are the only lasting solutions.