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Resistance at an all-time low in Arab states

Aug 25,2018 - Last updated at Aug 25,2018

If, for the sake of the argument, one can say that Daesh and the like movements are figuratively speaking developing a virus that is contagious, then the most effective way to combat them is by strengthening the immune strength of countries of the region.

That said, given the realities on the ground, the immune strength in almost all of the countries of the region is low, if not very low. The resistance to the challenges being posed by Daesh and other radical movements is at an all time low in most, if not all, the Arab states and under these circumstances there is really no chance to combat them by common traditional ways. Military and security oriented responses on their own can succeed for only a temporary period of time but cannot permanently stop the spread of this "virus" as something much more potent needs to be done to eradicate it altogether.

The low resistance threshold now widespread in the region can be associated to the "depressed" state of mind among the masses and the sense of alienation or dissatisfaction with the status quo. There is no denying that people in the region are deeply "depressed", and this state of mind is providing Daesh with a fertile ground to spring roots, flourish and expand. What is causing this extended "depression" is another story on which many experts would disagree and argue endlessly about its root causes. Perhaps the so-called "social-mental depression" in the area is due in part to current political malaise or chaos across the region, widespread internal armed conflicts, rampant dire economic conditions, high unemployment, especially among the youth and last but not least runaway inflation.

There could be other reasons to be sure but whatever they are, the source of the problem stays always the same: dissatisfaction and alienation.

As I watched the recent wave of acts of terrorism creeping into the Jordanian scene, I kept wondering if the root causes for the security threats are also related, in part at least, to the widespread "national depression" that makes some of the people susceptible to adopting antidotes that are worse than the problem. I say this rather reluctantly because I sense that successive governments in Jordan have failed to put their finger on the pulse of the crisis facing the country. By pretending that all is fine and that the majority of the people are also in the best of form, they ignored the root causes of the internal conflict in the country by defensively pretending that all is just fine or at least not as bad as some would like us to believe. I came to this conclusion as I cannot also be sure of what makes the population or part of it tick.

All I can say for now is that the militarisation of the solution alone will simply not work. We need a "holistic" approach to the crisis. Concentrating on how to improve the collection of taxes is certainly not part of the solution. If anything, it could be part of problem. Yet, the new government seems to believe that an improved taxation system is all that it takes to put the Jordanian house in order. The government cannot be more wrong. 

There must be much more to be explored and done if we want a permanent solution to the "Daesh" or Daesh-like threats. Till now that has not been done!

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