We had the Twin Towers destroyed with massive loss of life on September 11th, 2001 and the subsequent Anthrax incidents. In the newly liberated Iraq, hundreds of Police recruits have been killed by suicide bombers as well as numerous attacks on British and American troops. There were the bombings in Bali. There have been numerous suicide bombings against both civilian and military personnel in Israel. There were the bombings in Turkey and the Madrid train bombings. On the 7th of July, four suicide bombers attacked London.
My question is this, Has the war against terror already been lost?
Let’s briefly look at Iraq. Not the rights or wrongs of it, but the situation as it is now. As the war in Iraq is over, the perpetrators of these attacks on both the military and civilian populations can only be considered to be terrorists. The attacks increase, in scale and frequency, so can the armed services be considered to be defeating the terrorists in these circumstances?
The Madrid train bombings undoubtedly caused Spain to pull out of Iraq.
The situation in Israel is relatively quiet at the moment. The past shows Israel to have suffered many civilian casualties at the hands of terrorists. Although being hard line, the Israeli Government have in the past released terrorists to try and ease the situation.
America has again fallen victim to terrorism outside its own borders in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Last Thursday, Britain was attacked for the first time by suicide bombers. It is likely that these young men were British citizens by naturalisation if not by birth. Yet they were turned by Religious Extremists into cold blooded murderers.
In light of all these actions, and the ever increasing likelihood of more, has the war already been lost?
I think not. For Britain, the resilience of the British people will carry us through. It did against the IRA and it will now.
In the meantime, what do we do?
With so many law abiding and peaceful Muslims living in Britain, we cannot, and dare not, engage in a backlash against that community. We must help that community to expose those who peddle racial and Religious hatred.
But with people willing to die just to further their own ideological aims, what can we do to avoid these terrible bombings in future? We have to increase our vigilance without succumbing to paranoia. We have to ensure the dead are remembered, the injured cared for and that the survivors all recieve the appropriate levels of support.
People talk about heroes last Thursday. And like in all the incidents mentioned above, there most definitely were. The quiet kind of courage which leads a survivor to walk back into the horror to help others and not just run away, the emergency sevices personnel and the doctors and nurses who ran into harms way, not away from it. The selflessness of the bystanders doing all they could to help. The people of London, bowed with the enormity of the event who did not break. The courage and determination of those returning to work in the following days and the adoption of the slogan “we are not afraid.” Empty words? Maybe, but their actions mean the buses are running and the tube is open and London remains the bustling cosmopolitan city it has always been.
So, if the Police and Intelligence services mange to intercept these people who plan to disrupt our daily lives and spread terror, panic and hatred, what should be done with them?
Attacks like this can be cosidered to be nothing less than treason and I believe the death penalty is still applicable to those convicted of treason. It should be applied to anyone convicted of conspiring to commit acts of terrorism. I know this will not sit well with some forum members. I was fortunate not to have had anyone involved in the events in London. I can scarcely imagine what it was like for those who did.
So, what do you think? Are we forever to be the victims of terrorism and because of this need to pursue a policy of appeasement? Or do we as free nations make a stand?
Regards,
kev35
By: Andy in Beds - 13th July 2005 at 22:54
Andy.
Having read your post I’m sure everyone will heave a collective sigh of relief at the knowledge that you were so close to being involved but came through unscathed. Am I afraid? Possibly, but I don’t want to admit that even to myself because if I do then it’s another little victory for them. And I don’t want to give them the satisfaction.
Glad you had a good trip.
Regards,
kev35
Thanks Kev.
See you Saturday at OW?–Hopefully.
By: kev35 - 13th July 2005 at 22:46
Andy.
Having read your post I’m sure everyone will heave a collective sigh of relief at the knowledge that you were so close to being involved but came through unscathed. Am I afraid? Possibly, but I don’t want to admit that even to myself because if I do then it’s another little victory for them. And I don’t want to give them the satisfaction.
Glad you had a good trip.
Regards,
kev35
By: Andy in Beds - 13th July 2005 at 21:52
Kev, Steve, Damien, et al.
Thanks for the thoughtful posting.
Last Thursday morning I returned from a wonderful trip to see Steve Patterson and arrived at Gatwick at about 08.00 and Thameslink put me at Kings Cross at about five to nine.
I rode straight through blissfully unaware of what was happening effectively only a short distance away.
(I was told there had been a power failure but all else was OK).
At 10.00 I got off the train at Luton and was greeted by Vanessa in her car who was waiting for me. Again only yards from the car that was filled with explosives and left by the bombers.
Now, you can say if you want that you ain’t frightened–I bl**dy well am!
I’m scared and angry.
Scared because I realised that it could have been me or a million other people, angry because these people have already succeeded in spreading doubt between communities and among ourselves.
Who among you haven’t wondered about Muslims neighbours or work colleagues this week?–I have and I feel slightly ashamed, but it’s natural isn’t it?
You tell me.
I haven’t got any glib answers about hanging or flogging or even what we should do in the World–I just know I feel sad, disappointed and worried for the future as I can’t see things getting better for the forseeable.
Of course, if anyone thinks I’ll change my lifestyle because of their twisted views they couldn’t be more wrong—Ever met a Brit who isn’t as stubborn as mule?–especially this one?
Later
A.
By: pluto77189 - 13th July 2005 at 16:07
Although I very much agree with your views, I can’t support this exact comparison. Did the resistance movements deliberately engage civilian personnel? Did they venture into Germany to indiscriminately kill German civilians as a revenge for the atrocities committed by the Wehrmact?
Rebels fighting against coalition forces is one thing. Terrorists killing civilians is another.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.
This is a crucial point. One could argue that the Baathists in Iraq are
insurgents, attacking Coalition forces. One could also argue they are
the equivalent of the Nazi’s left over after Germany fell, and not the
resistance fighters in occupied France.
Certainly the majority of French people were in favor of the
resistance. I don’t think the same could be said about the Iraqi people
and the Baathists. They don’t WANT that way of life again. There is
really no good comparison.
The foriegn fighters, also called “insurgents” by the media, are
terrorists. They engage in terror tactis, have no affiliation with Iraq
except as a battleground, and have goals different than even the
baathists. They activly kill innocent people.
There have even been incidents where US forces were given
information about foreign terrorists by Baathist insurgents! The
Baathists are Iraqis, and have something to gain from negotiations.
The terrorists do not. I see a good possibility, in the future, of these
insurgents coming to talks with Iraq and the coalition. It’s in their
intrests. The terrorists will not negotiate – if they negotiate, they lose.
By: Ashley - 13th July 2005 at 13:04
While I don’t think that we could ever ‘win’ a war on terror in that we could bring an end to terrorism – that would be impossible, I do think we have ‘won’ in that we will not let ourselves be beaten, and when the going gets horrendous, we still get on with it. Some people mock the so called British ‘stiff-upper lip’ spirit, but I think it’s something as a nation (our multi-cultural nation) we do well. Mind you, as I typed that last sentence I remembered that last week’s bombing suspects were all British citizens, they didn’t show much ‘British spirit’, did they? I guess I will just have to think of them as British in name, but not true Brits to the core.
Aargh! Waffling again! Sorry…
By: Arabella-Cox - 13th July 2005 at 12:31
The short answer is, we make a stand.
Appeasement does not, will not, and can not work. The policies of western European nations in the late thirties stand as testament to that.
The problem we have is that there is a deep and fundamental difference between the ‘terrorists’ and the rest of what we percieve to be the civilised world; they are willing to lay down their lives unconditionally for their cause. We are not.
We value the sanctity of human life above all else. We are taught from birth, that killing is wrong, that ‘civilised’ people and nations conduct themselves in a ‘civilised’ way. That violence is not the answer.
Unfortunately, the ‘terrorists’ are taught the exact opposite. Brainwashed? We might think so. But then, they might feel that WE are brainwashed…
You’ll note that I’ve been typing the words ‘civilised’ and ‘terrorists’ between apostrophes. There’s a reason for this. It’s because it’s all about perception – we see a terrorist, the terrorists see themselves as freedom fighters.
Turn it on its head for a minute and go back sixty years, to the days when much of Europe was occupied by a tyrannical and evil regime. A world where in some places the only beacon of light was that provided by plucky local bands of resistance fighters, who were willing to give up their lives in order to rid their world of an evil menace. They operated unseen and unheard, and blew up trains, bridges and buildings using weapons and explosives supplied by other countries through clandestine means. Today we honour those men and women of the French / Belgian / Norwegian / Dutch / Danish Resistance (and others) as heroes for their selfless sacrifice in the name of freedom.
Now try and put yourself into the minds of those who would try to kill us today, and read that last paragraph again. Looks horribly similar to what we saw in London last week, doesn’t it?
And this is my point – everything we have ever been taught, everything we have ever known, in OUR civilisation, tells us that what happened last week was wrong. Yet everything THEY have ever known, in THEIR civilisation, tells them it was right and heroic.
The two views will never meet. And there will never be any compromise. And sadly the killing will never stop until one ideology or the other has been completely destroyed.
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July 13, 2005 at 12:05 pm