Terrorism is used by the weak against the strong. They cannot defeat us on their own. They improve their chances by recruiting the strongest possible ally – ourselves. A rose in a bullet hole with a note that translates to "In the name of what?" at La Belle Equipe in Paris France on Sunday 15 November 2015. Credit:Andrew Meares Terrorism works when it distorts our judgment with fear and anger, and we misjudge our responses. Terrorism turns our strength against us. It can only work if we let it. That's why the 9/11 attacks on the US were so successful. Most of the harm to the US was not inflicted in the attacks but in the misjudged American over-reaction. More than one and a half times the number of Americans died in the ill-begotten invasion and occupation of Iraq than on 9/11.

The physical damage to the US on 9/11 was tallied in the tens of billions of dollars but the Iraq war has cost over a trillion. Alexandra Salomon, from Paris, France, centre, joins a vigil outside the White House in Washington DC. Credit:Manuel Balce Ceneta US credibility in the world suffered not from the attack but from the blunders in response. So the response is all-important. France, Europe, the Western world including Australia, the entire civilised world must not give the terrorists what they want. We should do five things in response.

Think First, set aside our initial emotional responses of fear and anger. These are what the terrorists count on. Deny them. After grieving for the dead and suffering, put feelings aside and start thinking. This is hard but essential. Unite

Second, we should remind ourselves that our unity is a prerequisite to our success. We weaken ourselves by division. To turn against the Muslim community would be counterproductive. To alienate the Muslim community would be to promote radicalisation. The former ASIO chief, David Irvine, said last year that we should thank the Muslim community in Australia, not blame it. Mainstream Muslims are central to the task of rooting out extremists. It was helpful of the Grand Mufti of Australia, Ibrahim Abu Mohammed, to swiftly condemn the Paris murders as "heinous attacks of cowardice". While tending unity, we should also harden our resistance to the enemy. This means we should stop doing the terrorists' propaganda work for them. This should be our third realm of response.

Banish false respect Every time we refer to them by their self-chosen title of Islamic State, we dignify the enemies of civilisation with a false respectability. We refuse to call North Korea by its self-chosen title, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Why do we fall for Islamic State? They are neither Islamic nor a State, just blasphemous barbarians. Officials increasingly prefer to call them by the Arabic acronym, Daesh. The media, including this outlet, should follow suit. And every time we describe one of their attacks as "frightening" or one of their propaganda videos as "chilling", we help our enemies by amplifying their message. Since when did objective reporters use adjectives, anyway? TV channels should stop endlessly broadcasting Daesh propaganda videos.

They are not news footage. They are tools of the enemy. Governments and social media corporations should work harder to block Daesh outlets. We do not tolerate incitements to violence in our society. They are an unacceptable abuse of freedom of speech. We should not allow Daesh, the worst offenders on the planet, a special exemption. Preserve civilised borders Fourth, we need to apply utmost rigour to our borders. The terrorist attacks are a powerful prompt for us to make sure that our borders are policed effectively, but not shut down. If more resources and systems are needed, the federal and state governments should deliver them.

But Australia's program of immigration, including the refugee intake, and social stabilisation through multiculturalism, are important national policies that need to be preserved. Destroy their base Fifth, Australia and all civilised nations need to make a serious effort to shut down the terrorists' base. Daesh occupies a large area of Iraq and Syria, which it calls a caliphate. Enlarging the caliphate as the basis for global domination is Daesh's grand aim. Control of this so-called caliphate is the basis for their operations, their recruitment, their revenue, their credibility. To now, the West and the regional powers have made only a token effort to strangle it.