(2003-05-18) Burke Terrorists

Jason Burke on Dealing With Terrorism - Now the situation has reverted to how things were before Osama Bin Laden created his Afghan base... There are two major differences from the pre-1996 situation, however. First, 11 September, the wars in Afghanistan and War On Iraq, the crisis in Israel-Palestine, and the actions of governments and Islamic campaigners all over the Muslim and non-Muslim world, have led to an unprecedented wave of anger and resentment that easily translates into violence. The Islamic world is a far more radicalised place than it was previously. That the conflict in Iraq led to a rise in recruitment for radical groups is now so clear that even US officials admit it. This is a huge setback in the "war on terror". Second, the militants' targets are not, as they once were, merely the regimes in their own countries. The target now is the so-called "Crusader-Zionist Alliance" and that means all Westerners are enemies. There are no civilians. There are no safe havens.