Terrorism is political blackmail, aimed at targeting the innocent and disrupting the fabric of society. Most of the world sees it rightly as a scourge and a blasphemy against basic human rights.
Still, it’s Londoners who must now make the difficult decision whether to climb aboard their daily bus or train, and Egyptians who must consider whether to let the risk from terrorism alter their habits. It’s a choice that Americans are surely bound to face someday.
Of course the world has seen plenty of British fortitude over the years, and it goes without saying that the government will take vigorous steps to safeguard the daily commute. Americans will follow the example. New York police, for example, have begun random searches of purses and backpacks of anyone riding the city’s subways.
The July 7 and July 21 London attacks have revealed what tempting targets mass-transit systems offer terrorists. They’re hard to monitor, full of crowds of ever-changing faces, linked to almost every point in a metropolis and packed with potential victims.
London caught a break July 21 when explosions didn’t kill or hurt anyone – and duds left a trove of forensic evidence.
A thoughtful insight was offered by BBC newsman Mark Simpson, recalling his experience in Northern Ireland: “Security alone cannot solve the problem of terrorism.” Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair described the job facing his force as “its greatest operational challenge ever.”
A continent away from London, bombers struck Friday in Eqypt, where explosions rocked at least one hotel and a market in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, reminding again that no country is immune.
The world faces multiple challenges in dealing with radical Islamic movements, problems that likely will take years to sort out. Meanwhile, to defeat terrorism will require people around the world, whether in London, Sharm el-Sheikh, New York or Madrid, to show they will not be cowed. Vigilance, so much a part of world affairs since Sept. 11, 2001, remains key to this effort.
