Staying ahead of the rising tide of terror

So why can't we just raise the wall and stay ahead of the rising tide? Because the genies of mass destruction are already out of the bottle. They're getting cheaper and more accessible by the year and worse ones are coming. As early developers of these technologies, we benefited militarily from the edge they gave us. But as technologies of death move out of monopoly ownership into mass production, their power will turn against us. The capacity of enemies to do us terrible harm will multiply faster than our ability to deter or destroy them.

Think about the drug war. After years of effort, billions of dollars, and mounds of rhetoric, drugs still arrive daily in all 50 states. Please, give me some scenario with even a remote chance of security against weapons so small you could hide a dozen in one drug shipment. And as weapons get more deadly, our margin for error decreases: overlooking a dozen rifles is one thing; overlooking a dozen surface-to-air missiles is another. Overlooking a dozen canisters of biological weapons, well....

Increasingly, none will be secure until all are secure. Old doctrines will give us no peace in the night. In fact they'll make things worse – any influential nation that looks comfortably oblivious to the needs of others and menacing or arrogant will arouse widespread resentment.

So what's the alternative? Up until now we've practiced "demand side security" that focused only on our needs as consumers of security. "What will make us safe?" was the question; "build a wall of armaments" was the answer. The well-being of others, and particularly the well-being of our detractors, was of little concern.

In the future we'll have to practice "supply side security" and ask questions we ignored when we looked only at the world as consumers of security. What are the sources of enmity against us, and how could those sources be reduced? How can we increase the supply of goodwill which is ultimately the most stable and plentiful source of security? What could be done to cause others to see us as important allies in meeting their own critical needs?

We'll have to take seriously the goal of hearing and understanding needs; building economies, schools, hospitals; earning a reputation for deep commitment to the well-being of all and accountability to the world community.

There's an old saying: If the only tool you have is a hammer, everything you see is a nail. It's time for America to demonstrate that we have more tools than big hammers. Our task is to leave no doubt that we care as much about the survival and well-being of others as our own. And we don't even need to be generous to do this.

The truth is, our own survival is at stake.

• Ronald S. Kraybill is professor of conflict studies at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va.

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