Anti-terror strategy must include economic and social integration

HATE begets hate, guns beget guns, and bombs beget bombs. If the world is to have any hope at all of winning the war against terrorism, governments must ditch one-dimensional strategies and wage comprehensive campaigns that also aim for economic and social integration both within and beyond their borders.

It took only about two days after the Nov 13 Paris attacks for France to drop 20 bombs into the heart of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the terrorist group behind the assault on the French capital. Meanwhile, Russia launched its own volley of strikes in retaliation for ISIS's role in the downing of a vacationer-filled Russian charter jet more than two weeks ago.

From a military perspective, the retaliatory strikes by France and Russia are perfectly justified and reasonable - tit for tat. A powerful military pushback is a strong and important deterrent in most cases, sending a clear message: "If you hurt us, we will hurt you more. So don't even think of trying this again."