The commissioner of the Metropolitan police has warned that a terrorist attack is “inevitable” despite the best efforts of the security services in the UK. I’ve heard this said before, but it is more pointed in the wake of Madrid.
Category: Terrorism
The Bushes that blunder
Is the now inevitable war in Iraq going to be detrimental to the US being liked in the world? I would have guessed it, and so would most people. Matthew Engel is one of them and he writes a good story on it. He argues that rather than combating al-Qaida, the Bush rhetoric on Iraq is actually reinforcing dissent against the US, and may well lead to yet more terrorist attacks.
What has Osama bin Laden’s problem been all along – if anyone actually listened to what he said – his problem is the presence of American troops on the Arabian peninsula, no-fly zones, and the sanctions that are killing a disputed number of people in Iraq. So obviously the solution is to invade Iraq and kill lots of Muslims? Hmm. Unfortunately I think we can expect more September 11-type events.
Osama is alive, but what will he do next?
The regular Robert Fisk, a man who I sometimes don’t know whether to like or dislike wrote another article last week. However this is an enlightening and thorough report on bin Laden.
Fear strikes again
Yes fear, it appears, is the number one priority of the US and the UK these days. Instil fear in your populations and they will stay quiet, and our leaders can then do as they wish. Osama is talking on al-Jazeera again apparently, praising the attacks in Bali and the hostage taking in Moscow. CNN is hardly the best source for news, but on occasion I will link to it. It is amazing how differently things are reported than here in Europe.