Paris. San Bernardino. Brussels. Within the past year these cities as well as many others have been the victims of violent terrorist attacks. The killing of innocent people is not acceptable and must be stopped. Governments around the world have developed strategies to counter terrorism, but as these attacks show, they are not always successful. There is much more that needs to be done including preparing the public, providing worldwide education, and making sure communities are strong and united.

Prevention might never be completely effective, but there is a lot of room for progress. Some improvements have already been effective. Stronger transportation security as well as better trained law enforcement mean that the U.S. is better prepared today than in the past (Preventing Terrorism and Enhancing Security). Out of sixty planned attacks since September 11, 2001, law enforcement foiled fifty three. Three others were foiled by luck, and only four were actually carried out. U.S. and international intelligence agencies played an important role in stopping these attacks but are in need of further improvement (Zuckerman). Since prevention will never be one hundred percent successful, plans need to be in place and first responders need to be well prepared if an attack does happen.

Various strategies have been tried that didn’t stop recent attacks indicating that different methods need to be used. In some cases the efforts of individual countries have failed, but new international strategies could be more effective. It is important to learn from past mistakes and be prepared for constantly changing methods of attack. One idea is to stop supporting governments who support terrorists or who are cruel to others, which in turn causes them to be angry with us. Attacking countries where there are terrorists also creates more enemies (How to Stop Terrorism). We need to make friends instead by using strategies other than violence to get rid of terrorism. Terrorists only attack people that they hate so that hate needs to be stopped from forming in the first place.
 

Public awareness is a key to stopping terrorist attacks because law enforcement cannot be everywhere at once. Only ordinary citizens will know when something isn’t right in their everyday routine (If You See Something, Say Something). There is a growing number of homegrown terrorists becoming radicalized and attacking their own countries. At least six of the terrorists who attacked Paris on November 13, 2015 were French (Parlapiano). The friends and family of a potential terrorist are the only ones able to see that something’s going on and put a stop to it or notify the authorities. This can help prevent homegrown extremists who attack the people living around them. If an attack does happen, ordinary citizens need to be prepared to respond because they are likely to be much closer than law enforcement. They will need to help the injured, coordinate evacuations, and possibly provide police with information to aid in the arrests of the attackers. For example, on 9/11 the Coast Guard, ferries, tug boats, party boats, private boats, and more worked together to evacuate nearly 500,000 people from Manhattan Island in only nine hours (Tom Hanks). Actions like these can help save lives in the event of a terrorist attack.

To completely get rid of terrorism, its source must be destroyed. One way of doing this is to make sure all children are provided with a good education. Then they will be more likely to get a job that benefits their community instead of joining extremist groups and will also help end poverty (Strauss). Another way is to teach young people around the world about other cultures and religions so that they are more accepting of each other and can work together peacefully. Helping people see a world of fairness and peace that they can create will make them not want to listen to extremists’ messages of hate (Terrorism Can Only Be Defeated by Education). Persecution of other religions needs to be prevented so that they won’t have a reason to want revenge. Muslims living in the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek have high unemployment rates and are shut out by the rest of the community resulting in restless young men eager to become Islamic State fighters (Pearce). Removing situations like this one will go a long way toward stopping the spread of terrorists’ ideas and support.

Quick recovery after attacks, support for victims, and cooperation within a country and internationally can help discourage would-be terrorists. Stronger countries with quick, well coordinated responses will be a lot more intimidating to attack. International cooperation is also important. Sharing information between countries helps prevent travel of terrorists and aids in making arrests. Demonstrating that they can’t control us by fear shows terrorists that their attacks aren’t accomplishing what they wanted. After the attacks in Paris people held candlelight vigils and raised money for victims’ families. Interfaith gatherings and rallies were held to support Muslims. Monuments around the world were lit with the colors of France’s flag (These Reactions to the Paris Attacks Will Inspire You). Supporting each other and making a point of going on with life without being afraid will show terrorists that their attacks cannot accomplish anything. They want to use fear to maintain control over others but will give up if they see that it can’t be done.

Terrorist attacks are tragedies wherever and whenever they take place. It is important to do everything possible to keep them from happening. The public needs to know what to do if they see signs of a possible attack as well as how to respond if one occurs. Children around the world need to be well educated and taught to respect and work with each other. Countries need to show terrorists that they cannot control anyone by fear. These three methods will help us work toward completely eradicating terrorism and making our world a safer place.