Economic Opportunity as a Cure for Social Ills

Over the course of 2015 and 2016, worldwide terrorism fears once again became a big story in the mainstream news. In the wake of the gruesome murders at the Paris-based satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, much attention was focused on how governments around the world should respond to the threats of Islamic terrorism.

While fundamentalist fervor is undoubtedly a big problem on every continent in the world today, there is another culprit in the ongoing fight against terrorism — economic opportunities for young people. This is a problem that is fundamental to just about every social ill in every country, and yet precious little ink is dedicated to its role in major news stories ranging from the rise of ISIS in Iraq to the Hong Kong protests and the immigration debate in the U.S.

In simple terms, young people in the 21st Century — particularly in Western nations — face a potentially dim future on a number of important fronts. To name but a few:

• Rising unemployment for people under 30
• Increasing student loan debt
• Housing bubbles
• Immense government debt burden that will be passed down to future generations

 

It has simply not been a time of great optimism for many people in their teens and 20s lately.

What has astonished and sickened many observers in the Paris attacks is the fact that the perpetrators were not “fresh off the boat” immigrants from far off points in the Middle East, but instead were native born and bred French citizens speaking perfect French. But a closer look at their backgrounds shows not just an extreme social alienation but also a lack of economic prospects. In fact, the most financially “successful” of the attackers was a pizza delivery driver.

This problem has been intensifying in Europe for quite some time. Estimates of the number of French citizens who went to Iraq and Syria to join ISIS range from 1,000 to 2,000. And yet, most of these men come from middle class backgrounds and have public school educations. Clearly, there is a broad range of considerations that motivates them to turn to extremism — namely religion and family problems. But the elephant in the room seems to be the high youth unemployment in Western countries and its myriad consequences on other aspects of quotidian social life.

Many authorities and commentators rightly point out that economic issues cannot be cited as the sole cause for Islamic terrorism. After all, Osama Bin Laden came from a wealthy Saudi family. But youth unemployment in Europe hovers around 25%, and in the neighborhoods where the Parisian attackers came from, it is close to 40%. Numbers this high suggest a long list of “other pursuits” to occupy the great overabundance of idle hands.

And while economic desperation may not be the primary motivator, it is hard to imagine that thousands of young immigrants would be heading off to fight in foreign wars if they had full-time jobs, ran profitable businesses or were enrolled in trade schools or universities.

Moreover, economic opportunity would go a long way toward alleviating the other issues facing the young Muslim immigrant population in Europe. It is easier to assimilate in any given culture when you have mobility, a safe and comfortable home and some hard-earned extra cash in your pocket. Jobs provide this. Similarly, it stands to reason that a young man would be less likely to join an extremist religious cause if his daily life had a deeper sense of purpose. Jobs often provide this, too.

Generating more jobs and economic opportunities for young people should be a huge priority for every government facing a homegrown terrorist threat, including the United States. While not exactly the same problem, the U.S. faces an analogous situation with the minority community in its major cities.

Creating sound policies that address the price of higher education, rework public school funding, stimulate jobs, address immigration challenges and manage long-term debt will go a long way toward getting more up-and-coming citizens to “buy in” to the common good and avoid socially subversive behavior. Meanwhile, our schools and businesses should more actively encourage travel, study abroad and other forms of hands-on education that help provide young students perspective on the problems of the world and understanding of their place in it.

Image courtesy of Flickr user Magharebia.