Quote:
Originally posted by NousDefionsDoc
I agree completely. I say Italy because it is the other country besides Spain where polls showed a majority were opposed to sending troops to Iraq and the politicians did it anyway - easy to get the same result.
Also agree about the offset in England. It was my 2nd choice.
|
Actually, polls showed opposition in almost every country in Europe. But bear in mind that support for US policy in Iraq is hardly the sine qua non for being a terrorist target. For Spain, the Iraq policy and its unpopularity in Spain was only one component. It was Spanish policy from 1492 to 2002 that made Spain a target, and not just from 2002 to 2004. Spain was also a target of convenience. With the relative ease of smuggling stuff from Morocco, the ability to hide among the local Muslim population and the contacts with home-grown ETA terrorists, Spain presented opportunities that other countries did not.
Since 9-11, most of the large terrorist attacks and attempted attacks had been in non-Western countries - Indonesia, Pakistan, Iraq, Turkey, Morocco, Yemen, Kenya, Russia - where security measures were not as good as in the Western world. As time went by, even the Western countries security measures relaxed somewhat. The NY National Guard disappeared from the subways, the Gendarmerie Nationale wasn't as visible around the Eiffel Tower, and so forth. Madrid was first, but it could just as easily have happened in Milan or Athens, and Italian support in Iraq or Greek opposition to US policy would make no difference.
To the extent al-Qa'ida is in a position to plan high-profile large-scale attacks, the Athens Olympics remains a major target, but of course that is one area where extensive security measures are being taken.
As noted, the most immediate threat may be in Afghanistan or northern Iraq, timed with Nauroz to provoke chaos and internecine violence. In the longer term, the Athens Olympics and the US elections remain high-profile targets. But a Madrid-style attack is just as likely in Istanbul or Warsaw as in Milan or Manchester.
BTW, lost in some of the recent coverage of Madrid and other fronts in the war on terror was this: Saudi security forces killed two more people on their al-Qa'ida most wanted list in a gun battle in Riyadh. One of the two was Khalid 'Ali bin Hajj, A Yemeni reportedly head of al-Qa'ida operations in Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf region.