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Terrorism is the world’s war

15 comments on Terrorism is the world’s war

Terrorism is the world’s war

: It’s impossible to express outrage equal to the terrorist atrocity in Russia. Children, they used and killed children.

Last week, it was said that the two plane explosions were Russia’s 9/11. Now there is this, another 9/11.

Meanwhile, in France, they awaited the fate of journalists held by more Islamic fascists. (Update: They are reportedly now in the hands of a moderate group.)

Those are this week’s terror stories. There are stories every week from countries around the world.

Yesterday, I ended up in a conversation on the PATH train — which is a rarity — with a man who lives in New York, who said we have “forgiven” and “forgotten” 9/11 too quickly.

Look at what happened in Russia and pray it does not happen here.

When I started this blog days after 9/11, I called it World War III. We are all at war and the tragedy in Russia should remind us all of that — in America, in Russia, in France, in Germany, in Pakistan, in Indonesia, in Spain. Terror is the world’s war.

15 responses to “Terrorism is the world’s war”

  1. billg Avatar
    billg

    So right you are. Terrorism knows no boundary – Israel, the US, Russia today. France, Germany, Brazil, and who knows else tomorrow. Time to rub these germs out.

  2. eg Avatar
    eg

    terrorism is obviously not a new phenomenon, question is: are we are now simply more aware of each horrific incident, or are international extremists using the tactic more, now that they know the world is taking notice….
    i’m definitely not advocating the cold shoulder mentality, just wondering if radicals might be finding terrorism a more legitimate and easier means to to getting their voice heard

  3. Dann Avatar
    Dann

    Jeff-
    I missed out on the WWIII meme, but wanted to use this opportunity to suggest that WWIII was the Cold War against communism and that the war against terrorism is actually WWIV.
    Just as we shouldn’t forget 9/11 too quickly, nor should we forget the poverty and depredations caused by communism/socialism too quickly.
    Regards,

  4. Dimmy Karras Avatar
    Dimmy Karras

    I don’t think terrorism that has as its goal Chechen independence has much of anything to do with the terrorism of 9/11 beyond the similarly egregious tactics employed. Certainly, we should work to break Al Qaeda, and we should seek to help Russia in its struggle against terrorists there, but we shouldn’t conflate different groups either.

  5. Angelos Avatar
    Angelos

    Gee, Dubya didn’t tell us about this last night:
    “As speakers at the GOP convention trumpet Bush administration successes in the war on terrorism, an NBC News analysis of Islamic terrorism since Sept. 11, 2001, shows that attacks are on the rise worldwide – dramatically.
    Of the roughly 2,929 terrorism-related deaths around the world since the attacks on New York and Washington, the NBC News analysis shows 58 percent of them – 1,709 – have occurred this year.
    In the past 10 days, in fact, the number of dead has risen by 142 people in places as diverse as Russia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Israel. On Tuesday, the number of civilians killed by terrorists totaled 38 – 10 at a subway entrance bombing in Moscow, 16 in a bus bombing in Israel and 12 Nepalese executed in Iraq.
    Moreover, the level of sophistication is increasing. Terrorism experts point in particular to the attacks apparently carried out by Chechen rebels during that 10-day period. The rebels, whose top military commanders have been Arabs, are operating at a whole different level.”
    We better vote for him again, so we can keep being safe.

  6. shark Avatar
    shark

    We better vote for him again, so we can keep being safe
    Angelos, please note this:
    In the past 10 days, in fact, the number of dead has risen by 142 people in places as diverse as Russia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Israel. On Tuesday, the number of civilians killed by terrorists totaled 38 – 10 at a subway entrance bombing in Moscow, 16 in a bus bombing in Israel and 12 Nepalese executed in Iraq.
    HOW MANY OF THEM HAPPENED IN THE STREETS OF AMERICA??
    You want to hold Bush responsible for what happens in Russia?
    Gimme a break.
    Prayers to the Russian families whos children were gunned down in the back by those savages (prayers for Slick Willie also. Get well and stay away from the nurses pal. The world is more fun with you alive.)
    Let the Russians kill all the scum. Faster.

  7. Richard Bennett Avatar
    Richard Bennett

    Apparently several of the terrorists holding the children hostage in Russia were Arabs.
    No connection to Al Qaeda my ass.

  8. UML Guy Avatar
    UML Guy

    Dann is right that the Cold War should be WW III; but since the public won’t ever adopt that view, the war on terror becomes WW III by default.
    And Dimmy Karras: I can’t find the link right now, but I saw a news story earlier today about al Qaeda funding for this particular Chechen group. It’s unconfirmed, and it doesn’t mean all Chechen terrorists are al Qaeda-affiliated; but it looks like this group may be.
    And to me, the question isn’t whether they’re related to al Qaeda, but simply whether they’re terrorists. The Bush Doctrine says that terrorism can no longer be ignored, anywhere, because it always spreads out to hurt more and more people if you don’t stomp it out wherever you find it. The IRA seems pretty quiet on the terrorism front the last few years; but if they return to terrorism, I hope the world community stomps them, with or without al Qaeda links.
    Terrorism is used because it’s an effective asymmetrical tactic: you hurt a few people, scare a whole lot more, and risk only a couple of operatives. If we can change that equation and make the cost of terror just too high, then those who contemplate terror will have to consider other tactics. Like peace.

  9. Howard Avatar
    Howard

    Just some thoughts from a previous blog post that seem appropriate:
    “I’m not particularly heroic nor have I gone to war for my country but if any of us think we’re not at war now, we’re kidding ourselves. Al Qaeda and its cohorts are out to destroy us.
    I can get a chuckle over duct tape as quickly as the next guy but it surprises me that I don’t get a sense of urgency from my friends and colleagues about terrorism and what we as citizens could be doing to combat it.
    Maybe we’re frustrated about what appears to be the continued inability of the Department of Homeland Security, the CIA and the FBI to communicate with each other and gather the intelligence needed to stay ahead of the bomb throwers. It scares the hell out of me that we live in a country with marine ports as porous as a sponge.
    Maybe we’re worried that an overreaction will threaten our civil liberties. It’s not surprising there’s so much debate about the Patriot Act. No one wants to return to the days of Japanese internment camps.
    I didn’t live through WWII but everything I’ve read and heard from relatives who did makes me think Americans had a greater sense of urgency about overcoming fascism than we do about combating terrorism.
    Of course, the first responsibility rests with our government but isn’t there anything we can do?”

  10. Andrew Tyndall Avatar
    Andrew Tyndall

    “The Bush Doctrine says that terrorism can no longer be ignored, anywhere, because it always spreads out to hurt more and more people if you don’t stomp it out wherever you find it.”
    This is not the Bush Doctrine.
    He was quite clear in his Address to the Joint Session of Congress after September 11th–see http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010920-8.html–that the United States “will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.” He did not commit the US to fighting local terrorist groups (Chechen rebels, IRA, Tamil Tigers and so on). Only those with global designs.

  11. Dishman Avatar
    Dishman

    Angelos, you may be mistaking correlation with causation.
    The number of people killed in war following Pearl Harbor far exceeded the number of people killed in war during the years before it. There is a direct correlation between FDR’s aggressive actions and casualties. That does not make for causation.

  12. hiphophank Avatar
    hiphophank

    I think the Islamic militants are a lot like the Japanese we fought in WWII, they fought for a god-emperor, would accept only victory or death, and were barbarians. The IM are only different in who they are fighting for. There is really only one way to deal with them, they don’t want to talk or compromise. Victory or death, those are our options.

  13. pdq332 Avatar
    pdq332

    Angelos:
    Wow… turning the shooting of children in the back into a knock on Bush’s convention speech last night.
    We better vote for him again, so we can keep being safe.
    You know what really frosts me about idiotic comments like that? It’s that they clearly argue from a hypothetical. Going beyond the sarcasm for a moment, you clearly think that there is an alternatative to the present in which there would be less terrorism and fewer victims of terrorism. Fine, I’ll grant that there may indeed be such an alternative. But what is it, goddammit? MAKE THE F***ING CASE!!!!!
    As for the Islamic fundamentalist terrorists, the bell is tolling. They may not get it yet, but they are doomed. Bush or Kerry, sooner or later, it doesn’t matter. The timetable of their destruction is acceleration by their indiscriminate acts of barbarity. I hope Bush commits troops to Chechnia in return for Russian troops in Iraq.

  14. Jeremy Brown Avatar
    Jeremy Brown

    Thanks for this post, Jeff. I completely agree, and it’s helpful to come here and get a dose of reality when so many people seem to be deluding themselves that the war on terror is some sort of campaign strategy.

  15. StinKerr Avatar
    StinKerr

    “…I hope Bush commits troops to Chechnia in return for Russian troops in Iraq.”
    Sorry, pdq332, that looks like a lose/lose situation. There is nothing to be gained for the U.S. in Chechnya. I don’t see any reason to involve Russian troops in Iraq. We have enough problems there as it is, Russian troops would only make it worse, considering their record in Chechnya, Afghanistan and Germany.