Terrorists Win

[billroper]

And now, we get to mark 3/11 down in the calendar, right next to 9/11, except that we get to log 3/11 as a major victory for the terrorists.

We don't yet know for sure exactly who was responsible for the Madrid bombings. We do know that someone claimed credit on behalf of Al Qaeda and we do know that the Popular Party, which was in power and expected to remain in power prior to 3/11, was voted out in favor of the Socialist Party, which had announced its intention to do exactly what Al Qaeda wanted them to do.

You get the behavior that you incent for. The Spanish electorate has now provided a powerful incentive for terrorist groups to carry out bombings in advance of elections as a tool to influence the results of the elections. One of my co-workers -- who was opposed to the Iraq war -- noted that the Spanish electorate had just done the world no favor with this vote.

And I have to agree. Time for everyone to remember to keep their heads down, because the tactic has now worked once and will likely be tried again.

Comments

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Interesting interpretation. I believe that the results of the election was exactly the opposite of what the terrorists wanted. Their strategy seems to provoke an escalation, in order to incent further escalation, and so on. The U.S. has played right into al Qaeda plans by causing even more terror in the American people, attacking Iraq and causing more hatred among Arabs, and generally making the situation worse rather than better. The Sapnish responded by electing a government that will de-escalate, which frustrates the terrorists' plans.

I am pleased to see the Spanish people doing the smart thing, instead of the emotional thing. And I think it will make Spain much more secure over the long run.

B