A few months ago, as African migrants, fleeing conflicts in their home countries, arrived on Italy's shores, no one paid any attention when Pope Francis blamed "Merchants of Death" for their plight. And, of course, no one asked what "Merchants of Death" meant maybe because it was obvious that Pope Francis was alluding to well known key players in the world's arms race—gun manufacturers as well as gun traffickers—yes, the same ones who have wrecked havoc in the regions of the world with absolutely no capacity to produce weapons of modern warfare.
Eiffel Tower, Paris
But on 13 November, when a series of coordinated terrorist attacks, consisting of mass shootings, suicide bombings, and hostage-taking occurred in Paris and its northern suburb of Saint-Denis, the global conversation changed. And between fear and solidarity (that saw many draping their Facebook profiles in the color of the French flag), the question was asked. "Who did this and Was it preventable?" No sooner had the Islamic State (ISIS) been identified as the culprit than the French president, François Hollande declared angrily that his country was at war with ISIS and initiated airstrikes as well as try to rally international support for a possible all-out war against the terrorists. It soon emerged that a Syrian passport used by one of the attackers belonged to a Syrian refugee who had entered Europe through Greece. Was it planted by ISIS to mislead the West? Was it a false passport? Before anyone got anywhere near the truth, many called on Europe to bar the door on Syrian and Iraqi refugees. In the United States, many presidential candidates made their voices heard and loudly too. From Donald Trump's idea of a Muslim database to Ben Carson's comparison between Muslims and rabid dogs, to Jeb Bush's proposal for Christian refugees only, the presidential campaign was transformed into fear-mongering.
Not everyone caught the bug. Many media outlets began to ask such questions as "Who are these terrorists that we are so afraid of and how are they funded?"
According to the Middle East Research and Information project, “Over the last decade, the Middle East has become a focal point of the world arms buildup. Each year, the regional arsenal grows, as the United States, the Soviet Union, France, Britain and others ship billions of dollars worth of weapons to the countries there.” In August this year, the Mirror—a UK newspaper—published what it described as the scandal of Britain’s £6bn arms deals with war-torn Middle Eastern countries which could fall to ISIS. It included, the paper said, £15 million in sales over the past five years to embattled Libya, large parts of which are already controlled by a vicious terrorist group. In Italy, the Rome-based newspaper, Il Messaggero, reported that Italian arms exports to Islamic countries are worth a whopping €2.5bn.
Pope Francis
Former British PM, Tony Blair
When the pope lashed out at arms dealers, one online commentator, who identified himself as et cum spirit 220 on November 21, 2015 at 9:20 AMsaid: “He is not only evil, but truly unhinged as well. Mercy is for moslem murderers, sodomites, and adulterers, but someone who sells guns is damned. May his reign be short.” But as thousands of migrants escaping war and destitution reached Italy’s shores, the pontiff, undeterred, warned arms manufacturers, the corrupt, slave laborers and human traffickers that one day they will have to respond to God for their actions. Speaking to thousands of the faithful at the weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square, he said: “One day everything will come to an end and they will have to account for themselves before God.”
But even Tony Blair, the former British prime minister, who invaded Iraq alongside US President George W. Bush had confessed to CNN that “there are elements of truth” in the assertion that the war (the Iraq invasion) caused the rise of the Islamic State.
And in a video interview published on June 22, 2014, former Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, now a candidate for the U.S. presidency, admitted that it was, in fact, the CIA that started and funded Osama Bin Laden's terrorist group, Al Qaeda. In another video testimony on the funding and arming of Al Qaeda and ISIS, published on September 20, 2014, U.S. Senators, including John McCain, said: "We've been funding ISIS all the time." On his part, Christopher Greene of AMTV reported a Wesley Clark interview on ISIS in which the General explained that ISIS was created by U.S. allies. Given the above cited testimonies, it seems a little hypocritical on the part of the West, especially the US, to decry the atrocities of terrorists that they created.
Global Research, in an online article titled: “We created Al Qaeda,” said that the protagonists of the “Global War on Terrorism” are, in fact, the terrorists.
Citing Clinton’s successor at the State Department, John Kerry, as being in direct liaison with Al Nusru, an Al Qaeda affiliated organization in Syria, (integrated by terrorists and funded by the US and its allies), the publication said as follows:
“The Global War on Terror (GWOT) is led by the United States. It is not directed against Al Qaeda. Quite the opposite:
The “Global War on Terrorism” uses Al Qaeda terrorists operatives as foot soldiers.
“Political Islam” and the imposition of an “Islamic State” (modeled on Qatar or Saudi Arabia) is an integral part of US foreign policy.
America is the Terror State. The GWOT is a diabolical instrument of Worldwide conquest.
It is a means to destabilizing sovereign countries and imposing 'regime change'.”
Sydney Opera House lit up in solidarity
Now, as the world begins its campaign against the so called ISIS, it might be wise to stop for a moment and consider the hypocrisy of those leading us to war. While the pain of the Paris attacks—in which 129 people died—is a pain shared by many and the attack worth condemning, the real truth about terrorism, if considered, may bring us to the same reasoning that prevented Charlotte Farhan, a French-British woman based in Portsmouth, from draping her Facebook profile in the colors of the French flag.
Charlotte Farhan
In a Facebook post shared more than 88,000 times and 'liked' by more than 133,000 people, Ms. Farhan—managing director of non-profit group Art Saves Lives International—said: “I won’t be changing my profile to the French flag even though I am French and from Paris. The reason for this is that if I did this for only Paris it would be wrong. if I did it for every attack in the world, I'd have to change my profile everyday several times a day.”
According to the Middle East Research and Information project, “Over the last decade, the Middle East has become a focal point of the world arms buildup. Each year, the regional arsenal grows, as the United States, the Soviet Union, France, Britain and others ship billions of dollars worth of weapons to the countries there.” In August this year, the Mirror—a UK newspaper—published what it described as the scandal of Britain’s £6bn arms deals with war-torn Middle Eastern countries which could fall to ISIS. It included, the paper said, £15 million in sales over the past five years to embattled Libya, large parts of which are already controlled by a vicious terrorist group. In Italy, the Rome-based newspaper, Il Messaggero, reported that Italian arms exports to Islamic countries are worth a whopping €2.5bn.
Global Research, in an online article titled: “We created Al Qaeda,” said that the protagonists of the “Global War on Terrorism” are, in fact, the terrorists.
Citing Clinton’s successor at the State Department, John Kerry, as being in direct liaison with Al Nusru, an Al Qaeda affiliated organization in Syria, (integrated by terrorists and funded by the US and its allies), the publication said as follows: 
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