October 5, 2005
ONE OF THESE BOMBINGS WAS NOT LIKE THE OTHERS:
Al Qaeda Waning? (Austin Bay, 10/05/05, Tech Central Station)
Based on the public outrage in Indonesia...in Southeast Asia and internationally, JI's latest murder binge is anything but a victory for jihadist terror. These reactions suggest that, since 2002, "something has changed" -- and the change has not been in Al-Qaida's strategic favor.For one thing, the death toll is far smaller. The Indonesian government has also attempted to co-opt JI. Jakarta convicted JI's "spiritual leader," Abu Bakar Bashir, for conspiracy in the 2002 bombings, but has since treated him with deference. This has led to a diplomatic contretemps with Australia. However, the jailed Bashir said he disagreed with the latest attack, since it "sacrificed innocent people."
But something larger seems to be at work. One indication is the overall tone of news coverage and public reaction -- call it anger with a shrug. While terrorist apologist and British MP George Galloway may yet sally forth with "root causes" rhetoric and anti-American agitprop, at the moment, the latest Bali blast has not produced demands that the world "understand what the terrorists want." Everyone knows the jihadists want to sow fear.
Fear, however, doesn't seem to sell as easily as it did.
In retrospect, the Madrid strike in March 2004 may prove to be the high point of terror's fear offensive. Spain left the Iraq coalition. Since then, the jihadists have had many headlines, but no victories.
Does anyone doubt though that further bombings on the European continent--in France and Germany in particular--would work just as well as Madrid? The Islamicists can't win in the Anglosphere or within Islam, but they can likely intimidate the Europeans. Posted by Orrin Judd at October 5, 2005 12:01 PM
Their tactics will still work when used against those who have nothing to defend, and hence no reason to resist. You perhaps should reassess your confidence that the UK is still a part of the Anglosphere (and are we really to doubt that Canada is more Spain than Australia?) based on stories such as the "pig" ban and this one:
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/10/04/britain.redcross/
Posted by: b at October 5, 2005 12:19 PMThey won't bomb the French or Germans . . . you don't do things like that to your allies.
Posted by: Mike Morley at October 5, 2005 12:24 PMThe fact that JI is using smaller bombings with lower death tolls is more in keeping with their usual methodology. It should not lull anyone into a false sense of security. More frequent small bombings is not likely to be significantly less destructive than fewer larger bombings. And, psychologically it may be worse to have a small bombing once a month, than a large bombing every couple of years.
Posted by: Eye Doc at October 5, 2005 12:38 PMTerror in Europe is a bad bet for the Islamist. Even a sniveling rat will fight back when cornered. So to your question, yes, I do have doubts that future bombings will work as well as the Madrid bombings, even in Madrid.
Posted by: h-man at October 5, 2005 1:04 PMI don't know about France. The French are pretty brutal and will respond, public opinion be damned.
Posted by: Mikey at October 5, 2005 1:08 PMBTW, b's link should be explained by our visitor Brit. The link is here Wouldn't hurt if OJ would explain how abandoning our own borders, won't lead to the same results in the US.
Posted by: h-man at October 5, 2005 1:18 PMh-man:
OJ can well answer for himself, but let me have a go at your question.
- We should not abandon our borders but regularize the people wanting in.
- We have little to fear that Latin immigrants who bring the Cross of St. James would despise the Cross of St. George.
Posted by: Luciferous at October 5, 2005 1:38 PMThe world is a sphere--America has no borders.
Posted by: oj at October 5, 2005 1:43 PMLuciferous
They'll find something else to b*tch about
OJ
No Border, No Country.
B and h-man:
Explain it? Why? It's just a quirky story. The press like quirky stories. It don't signify.
Did you see the Ashes ticker-tape parade recently? Thousands of people on the streets of London draped in the St George cross and Union Jacks and singing 'Jerusalem'.
How do I explain that story?
Or did you miss that one? What, you've never heard of The Ashes? But you guys are experts on the decline of patriotism and national identity in the UK...
Posted by: Brit at October 6, 2005 4:55 AM