Be afraid

Soros: Trump and Cruz want you to be afraid

By Eliza Collins

George Soros is calling on voters to “resist the siren song of the likes of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz” if the U.S. is to effectively fight terrorism.

Soros, a prominent billionaire, Democratic donor, and founder of the Soros Fund Management LLC, wrote an op-ed in The Guardian titled, "The terrorists and demagogues want us to be scared. We mustn’t give in."

In the article, Soros argues that extremist groups like the Islamic State and Al Qaeda are hoping to create a strong sense of anti-Muslim sentiment around the world so that Muslims see no other option but to get involved with terrorism.

“Jihadi terrorist groups such as Islamic State and al-Qaida have discovered the Achilles heel of our western societies: the fear of death,” Soros writes. “Through horrific attacks and macabre videos, the publicists of Isis magnify this fear, leading otherwise sensible people in hitherto open societies to abandon their reason.”

Soros said it is difficult to resist the temptation of reacting with fear or resentment.

“I experienced this personally when I watched the last Republican presidential debate; I could stop myself only by remembering that it must be irrational to follow the wishes of your enemies,” Soros said. “To remove the danger posed by jihadi terrorism, abstract arguments are not enough; we need a strategy for defeating it.”

Soros called it an “egregious mistake to do what the terrorists want us to do. That is why, as 2016 gets underway, we must reaffirm our commitment to the principles of open society and resist the siren song of the likes of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, however hard that may be.”