I was recently asked this question and was expected to write a response. It's a tough question, and I really have tried to put myself in the shoes of the average militant to try and see things from their point of view. It gave me a few ideas.

It seems to me that when someone is oppressed, or more importantly, when someone percieves that they are oppressed, then they act out. Whether it's a child who throws a tantrum to spite what they percieve as an overbearing parent, or a terrorist who bombs citizens of a county that they percieve as an overbearing country, where there is percieved oppression, there will be a counter act of protest or violence.

I would say this is why Palestinians fight with Israelis, why Al Qaeda in Iraq attacks coalition forces, and why teenagers get tatoos.

The next question that follows, considering that we are combating global terrorism, is how to we stop the perception of oppression by terrorist groups that are attacking us and our allies. This becomes increasingly more difficult as we need to balance our national security, and our ablity to protect the interests of our friends and allies around the world.

 Some would suggest that we could withdrawl from bases around the world, and solve this problem that way. The concern would then become how do we stay competitive economically, politically, and militarily in a very competive world where natural resources are hard to come by, and every country has the responsibility to protect the livelyhood of its citizens.

It's not a question easily answered, although it may be one of the most important ones that we need to find a solution for.  

Feel free to discuss in the comments part of this blog.