Terror

[rowyn]

Getting just what they wanted.

"CNN also has obtained an al Qaeda document that spells out the terrorist group's plan to separate Spain from the U.S.-led coalition on Iraq.
...
"The strategy spelled out in the document calls for using terrorist attacks to oust Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's Partido Popular from power and replace it with the Socialists.
...
"'We think the Spanish government will not stand more than two blows, or three at the most, before it will be forced to withdraw because of the public pressure on it,' the al Qaeda document says.
...
"the Socialists unseat[ed] the Popular Party three days after near-simultaneous bombings of four trains killed 200 and shocked the nation.
...
"Prime Minister-elect Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Monday he wants the 1,300 Spanish troops in Iraq to return home by June 30 if the United Nations 'doesn't take control of Iraq.'

"'I think Spain's participation in the war has been a total error,' he said."

I feel sick.

Comments

[kelloggs2066.livejournal.com]

My next concern is Japan.

In the note al Quaeda sent claining responsibility, Japan was specifically mentioned in the target list.

Because Japan has a constitutional ban against using war as an instrument of foreign policy, the decision to send their Self Defense Force as peacekeepers was extremely contraversial.

The Prime Minister practically had to promise to pull out at the first sign of casualties.

That's like painting a target on your back.

I expect al Quaeda will see them as the next most vulnerable target. :(

Japan is less vulnerable

[telnar.livejournal.com]

There are a couple of reasons why Japan is less likely to succumb to this sort of pressure:

In spite of the constitutional ban, in practice the deployment is not seen as a big deal (perhaps in part because the roles assigned to the Japanese troops in Iraq could be fulfilled equally well even if they weren't armed). It is also not nearly as unpopular there as it is in Spain.

Also, Japan's voters understand that deterrance is not an abstract question. They already live within missile range of North Korea and would be at more immediate risk if they were to be received as weak.

Re: Japan is less vulnerable

[kelloggs2066.livejournal.com]

I hope you're right, but the concern in my mind has got to occur to al Quaeda.

And, even if Japan wouldn't pull out, they're still a target for terrorist attacks. :(

Re: Japan is less vulnerable

[shockwave77598.livejournal.com]

Keep in mind that Japan is still rather insular itself and homogenous as a society. It will be very hard for an Arab to blend in and melt into the background there since there are so few of them around.

Re: Japan is less vulnerable

[kelloggs2066.livejournal.com]

I hope you're right, my friend. I hope that's enough.
But, considering Bali and Indonesia, not all Islamic Radicals are Arabic.

And, even if the Home Islands are safe, their troops in Iraq and Kuwait are still in harms way. :(

Re: Japan is less vulnerable

[queenofstripes.livejournal.com]

I don't see how that weakens his point one bit. There are Muslims in Bali and Indonesia. It may be true that not all Islamic radicals are Arabic, but I think it's fairly safe to say that nearly none are Japanese, considering they have absolutely no indigenous history whatsoever of Islam of which I'm aware! A Muslim of any nationality would have difficulty blending in. Furthermore, even if there were a handful of Japanese Muslims, I don't see how there could be any kind of local support structure for terrorism. Bali had a certain small population that would welcome al-Qaeda; I think it's safe to assume Japan has none.

(Ironically, the first Japanese woman I ever knew, a young lady named Fumiko, was Muslim. But her father had been a diplomat in Cairo and her mother was a native, and I don't imagine this is a common phenomenon.)

Re: Japan is less vulnerable

[kelloggs2066.livejournal.com]

Not all the terrorists are Muslim either.

I don't remember the guys name, but a while back, they arrested an American, who'd been doing reconaissance for a radiological bomb attack in Chicago? (Sorry, my memory is foggy on the details). In any case, I don't think it's impossible for a terrorist strike on the Japanese Islands. Someone from Bali or Indonesia would certainly have an easier time blending in than an Arab anyway.

But, that's getting off on a tangent. The easier target for al Quaeda would be the Japanese Self Defence Forces deployed in Iraq and Kuwait. Prime Minister Koizumi sounded reassuring today, but a month ago, he had to make a lot of deals and promises to withdraw at the first sign of trouble.

In any case, in the note that took credit for the attack, al Quaeda warned Italy and Japan would face retribution for participating in Iraq.

I sincerely hope that you're right, and they'll have a lot of trouble.

Re: Japan is less vulnerable

[level-head.livejournal.com]

He IS a Muslim, in fact. His name is Abdullah al Muhajir. He changed it from Jose Padilla when he became a Muslim.

It is fashionable for the media to call him by his prior name, which (ironically) makes him sound more American. It is NOT his name. And in fact, he was arrested at the airport flying in from Pakistan -- it was one of multiple trips where he trained with al-Qaeda on explosives, and was financed by them.

Let's see.
http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/06/10/dirty.bomb.suspect/

And of course, the media continued to be infatuated with this fellow, and NEVER called him by his Muslim name. Time Magazine's web site named him the "Person of the Week":
http://www.time.com/time/pow/article/0,8599,262269,00.html

Note the reference to Morocco.

===|==============/ Level Head