https://pjmedia.com/richardfernandez/2009/05/07/richer-in-chains/feed/PJ Media is a leading news site covering culture, politics, faith, homeland security, and more. Our reporters and columnists provide original, in-depth analysis from a variety of perspectives.en-usFri, 12 Jun 2026 13:31:34 -0400<![CDATA[At a talk on Pakistan I recently attended, after one member of the audience asked the speaker whether Islamic terrorism could be banished by dealing with the &#8220;root causes of violence&#8221;, i.e. poverty and disenfranchisment, the speaker paused thoughtfully and replied that it was not necessarily the case. For example, he said, the perpetrators of many of the most notorious terrorist attacks were well-educated (often Western educated) and prosperous individuals. They were doctors and engineers, not impoverished graduates of madrassas who were (he added parenthetically) more poorly represented in terrorist leadership than one would think. In 2005, the Hoover Institute challenged the conventional wisdom that prosperity automatically brought freedom in a Bruce Bueno de Mesquita article entitled &#8220;Development and Democracy&#8221;.]]>Thu, 07 May 2009 15:44:47 -0400<![CDATA[Richard Fernandez]]>https://pjmedia.com/richard-fernandez/2009/05/07/richer-in-chains-n188095