One of the many factors contributing to the spawning of terrorists is oppressive government. It is significant that Osama Bin Laden is a Saudi citizen, and that the Saudi is an oppressive and undemocratic regime that uses torture as an instrument of policy. One of the objectives of al-Q’aeda is the replacement of west-supported dictatorial regimes in Egypt Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, and other Muslim countries with theocracies.

Interestingly, part of the Right’s analysis of the terrorist problem is that they are generated by non-democratic regimes, and their rage against the West represents displaced anger at the authoritarian regimes in their home countries.

Therefore, part of the answer to terrorism is to improve governance globally, that is, to inhibit tendencies for governments to use repression, torture and political imprisonment, and to foster the development of democratic and tolerant regimes worldwide.

One way of moving towards this worthy goal is to set up in the United Nations an annual league table or Index of states’ performance in the field of Human Rights.

Each year, the UN generates huge reports on states’ performance in this field. It is an easy matter to quantify these reports and turn them into a league table.

This proposal is detailed here: http://www.greenhealth.org.uk/Index%20of%20Governance.htm