Education and Security

Terrorism is no doubt a transcendent threat whose combating is the highest priority of the United States and its allies. Terrorism however arises when certain circumstances induce disaffected peoples to use terror as means to accomplish their goals. These circumstances are evident in the Muslim World from Morocco to Indonesia, where certain state policies have marginalized certain sectors of society. The primary threat of terrorism espoused by militant groups such as Al-Qaida and other Islamic terrorist networks is a result of socio-economic and political conditions in this area of the world.

Security for the sake of this blog should be understood as a situation characterized by stability and devoid of threats from militant groups.

Pakistan is on the front line of the U.S’s engagement against Islamic terrorist networks. Bordering next to occupied Afghanistan, Pakistan is a haven for those intending to oppose the American presence in Afghanistan. Pakistan however has a troubled history which has motivated marginalized members of society to carry out violent attacks against the government and civilians. The factors inducing terrorism in Pakistan reflect a representative example of similar militant oppositions across the Muslim World. A major factor that has plagued Pakistani society is the lack of education. I will use this blog opportunity to argue that global illiteracy and lack of educational initiatives are the greatest threat global peace and security.

Pakistan struggles in providing its citizens with an effective education system. The masses of Pakistani's are uneducated and significant portions are illiterate. The rich of Pakistan enjoy British modeled private schools which produce the movers and shakers of Pakistani society. However, the masses have no access to such respectable schools because of the expensive tuition which makes such schools unaffordable. This disparity in education between the rich and poor further leads to social stratification and a socio-economic system which grants privileges to the rich and burdens the poor masses. The government’s inability to provide adequate education results in the religious schools or "madrasahs" to court many young people with promises of food and shelter. Some Madrasah's however subscribe to violent ideologies that have little to do with religion and more to do with politics and culture. These exceptional schools become centers for indoctrination of many Pakistani youth. The destructive results of these indoctrination centers have come in to fruition in recent years. The country is ravaged with an insurgency fueled by the teachings of such schools. The government of Pakistan is consequently suffering from its own neglect of providing public education to its citizens. Solving the education crisis requires long-term planning by the government and a higher allocation of resources devoted towards public education. Such educational reforms can produce an informed citizenry less susceptible to the guile of insurgent groups. In addition to combating extremism through education, education-reforms will lead to a better standard-of-living and less instability in Pakistan.

As I mentioned before, an uneducated populace can be utilized by certain violent actors as a support base. Those countries with higher levels of education also enjoy a higher level of stability; there is an evident link between the two. Where there is a lack of education, there are periods of instability which take a massive toll on society. Instability in the case of Pakistan has bred a lack of security for its citizens and has stymied the U.S’s efforts in its occupation to defeat terrorist networks. Providing an effective education system should therefore be a security objective of all states.