Terrorism is an important issue. But is it more important than poverty?

If you watched the Republican debate last night, you might think so. The video above distills the climate of fear that was produced by the candidates.

Terror, terrorism and terror were together mentioned 74 times.  ISIS was mentioned 68 times. War was mentioned more than 30 times.

And poverty was never mentioned.

Don't be fooled--this insistence on fear and retribution is about short-term point scoring. It's a way for candidates to seem tough (mentioned 16 times) and capable of handling threats (mentioned 18 times).

And it's misleading.

Candidates should be talking about how they will address the poverty in the US and around the world. Poverty is a foundational cause of conflict around the world and dealing with it is the only way to ensure long-term security. 

Bombs and bullets are not the answer to ending terrorism. Freedom, education, gender equality, healthcare and opportunities are the real antidotes and they're cultivated over a sustained period. 

It's shocking to see the imbalance of priorities that was on display last night. Global citizens should demand better from the people vying to be the leader of such an influential nation. 

Data for the above chart was taken from the transcript posted on Time, it can be viewed here.