Anti-terror leaders are making things worse
They have failed to insist on the resolution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. They initiated an illegal war against Iraq and, as British Prime Minister Tony Blair made clear a year ago, they intend to execute a series of similar wars in the years ahead.
They botched the invasion of Iraq which they had 10 years to plan. They have failed to 'secure' the country and utterly mismanaged its 'occupation.'
After their operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, not only has 'terrorism' not been eliminated but the world is a substantially more dangerous place.
They either do not understand what causes and nurtures terrorism or, worse, they understand its origins too clearly and deliberately ignore them.
Whatever else may be in short supply in the decades to come, it will not be recruits for terrorism.
What almost leads one to despair is that all that has happened over recent years could have been predicted by the most superficial student of the history of this island in the 20th century.
Indeed my late father an Irishman who was an anti-terrorist expert in another country gave me a short theoretical course 50 years ago in how not to run a war against terrorism.
What happened in Iraq followed his script almost to the letter. It is too easy to give a glib explanation for the election result in Spain.
Nevertheless, is it time for the governments of Europe to start listening more closely to their peoples?
In the context of a new constitution for Europe, is it time to try to break through towards a new politics for the continent?
Should we look again to the fundamental principles which we share in common not just in Europe but also with the largest 'European' or 'post-European' country of all the USA? But this requires leadership change either in personnel or in their hearts.
Maurice O'Connell,
19, Forge Park,
Oakpark,
Tralee,
Co Kerry.
