SokolinyiGlaz
07-08-2005, 01:51 PM
London Joins the Club
by Elliot Chodoff
The multiple terrorist bombings in London yesterday initiated the British capital into the club of cities that have suffered major terrorist attacks in recent years. The British capital now has the dubious honor of joining Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, New York, Madrid and other cities in mourning their dead, caring for their wounded, investigating how it happened, and contemplating the reality that, yes, it can happen here. Again.
It is still unclear who was directly behind the attack and, Muslim web site claims notwithstanding, the actual perpetrators may never be found. But it should be clear that this attack, like the Madrid bombings, the 9/11 attacks, and the rest of the long bloody list of outrages of the past years, is part of a terrorist assault on the West, and not simply a random act of criminal violence. This realization seems to be slow in coming to the leaders of the Western world who continue to speak in terms of bringing the perpetrators to justice.
As we argued after 9/11 (see “Justice, or a Just War,” Archives, September 13, 2001), it is pointless to relate to terrorists and their attacks from a criminal justice perspective. The perpetrators are elusive, with a whole world in which to hide, and a magnificent Western justice system to protect their rights if they are apprehended. More importantly, they see themselves at war with the West, and that war will continue whether or not it is recognized as such by the victims.
The attacks came against the backdrop of the G8 summit meeting in Scotland, but the choice of London as a target must also be considered in light of Mayor Ken Livingstone’s statements in March, that Israel’s policies, which he labeled terrorist and ethnic cleansing, endangered Londoners as well. Apparently Livingstone’s condemnations of Jews in general and Israelis in particular had little influence on the perpetrators of the attacks. If the statement made on the Islamic web site claiming responsibility for the attack is reliable, the terrorists’ goal was to punish the “British Zionist Crusaders” for their actions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Despite the fact that London was generally believed by security experts to be next in line for a major attack after the Madrid bombings, it is obvious from the aftermath that the British emergency system has a lot of work ahead of it to reach an adequate level of preparedness for future disasters. From the initial attribution of the bombings to an electrical failure, through the confused reports of up to 7 different attacks, to the unclear casualty count that is still not certain, the evidence points to a system that was overwhelmed by the events and is desperately attempting to get a grip on the catastrophe.
The global war on terror is still in its early stages, but thousands have already lost their lives and many millions have been affected as they attempt to adjust their lives to a new and dangerous reality many found inconceivable only a few years ago. If the West is serious about returning a sense of security to its people, it will have to begin to behave as if it is serious about fighting and winning this war. This can only be done with the political and financial resolve to recruit and send forces to any point on earth where terrorists may be, while simultaneously taking serious and far reaching steps to mitigate the results of attacks through the use of trained, prepared and equipped first response teams. Halfway measures in either of these categories will certainly result in further disasters and concomitant loss of life. Time has simply run out.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Additional articles can be found at www.me-ontarget.com
by Elliot Chodoff
The multiple terrorist bombings in London yesterday initiated the British capital into the club of cities that have suffered major terrorist attacks in recent years. The British capital now has the dubious honor of joining Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, New York, Madrid and other cities in mourning their dead, caring for their wounded, investigating how it happened, and contemplating the reality that, yes, it can happen here. Again.
It is still unclear who was directly behind the attack and, Muslim web site claims notwithstanding, the actual perpetrators may never be found. But it should be clear that this attack, like the Madrid bombings, the 9/11 attacks, and the rest of the long bloody list of outrages of the past years, is part of a terrorist assault on the West, and not simply a random act of criminal violence. This realization seems to be slow in coming to the leaders of the Western world who continue to speak in terms of bringing the perpetrators to justice.
As we argued after 9/11 (see “Justice, or a Just War,” Archives, September 13, 2001), it is pointless to relate to terrorists and their attacks from a criminal justice perspective. The perpetrators are elusive, with a whole world in which to hide, and a magnificent Western justice system to protect their rights if they are apprehended. More importantly, they see themselves at war with the West, and that war will continue whether or not it is recognized as such by the victims.
The attacks came against the backdrop of the G8 summit meeting in Scotland, but the choice of London as a target must also be considered in light of Mayor Ken Livingstone’s statements in March, that Israel’s policies, which he labeled terrorist and ethnic cleansing, endangered Londoners as well. Apparently Livingstone’s condemnations of Jews in general and Israelis in particular had little influence on the perpetrators of the attacks. If the statement made on the Islamic web site claiming responsibility for the attack is reliable, the terrorists’ goal was to punish the “British Zionist Crusaders” for their actions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Despite the fact that London was generally believed by security experts to be next in line for a major attack after the Madrid bombings, it is obvious from the aftermath that the British emergency system has a lot of work ahead of it to reach an adequate level of preparedness for future disasters. From the initial attribution of the bombings to an electrical failure, through the confused reports of up to 7 different attacks, to the unclear casualty count that is still not certain, the evidence points to a system that was overwhelmed by the events and is desperately attempting to get a grip on the catastrophe.
The global war on terror is still in its early stages, but thousands have already lost their lives and many millions have been affected as they attempt to adjust their lives to a new and dangerous reality many found inconceivable only a few years ago. If the West is serious about returning a sense of security to its people, it will have to begin to behave as if it is serious about fighting and winning this war. This can only be done with the political and financial resolve to recruit and send forces to any point on earth where terrorists may be, while simultaneously taking serious and far reaching steps to mitigate the results of attacks through the use of trained, prepared and equipped first response teams. Halfway measures in either of these categories will certainly result in further disasters and concomitant loss of life. Time has simply run out.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Additional articles can be found at www.me-ontarget.com