It was the perfect target if you think about it…if you have studied the enemy’s playbook. A crowded event, in an unsecured location, attended by non-combatants, in an unarmed egalitarian western nation. The stuff jihadist dreams are made of. So 23-year-old Salman Abedi, son of Lybian refugees, set off a nail bomb at the conclusion of the concert as attendees were exiting the hall. Thusfar, there are 22 dead and some 60 severely injured. Having some knowledge on the nature of blast injuries, the death toll will likely increase, and the injured will likely never be the same.
The response is almost comical. First there is collective horror and revulsion, then a call for tolerance from world leaders and media figures. A reassurance that this was an isolated event, and that it has nothing to do with religion. There will be flowers and candles and Union Jack icons on social media, and all of that. And somewhere in Afghanistan or some other place far away from the site of the mass murders, a drone will blow up a hut in retaliation. And in a few months, except for the families of the dead and injured, nobody will even remember the event.
It is astounding really. A comparison would be if a farmer welcomed wolves into his farm (they are all God’s creatures right). Then when one wolf kills all his chickens, he publicly declares that this is not typical wolf behavior and we should not blame wolves. Then he gets on a plane and shoots a wolf 1000 miles away so his chickens will feel safer.
What is the solution to events like Manchester, Westminster, Orlando, and San Bernardino?
One is to create and live in a nation free of wolves (or jihadists), but arriving at that end would require a total reorganization of the west’s own self-image, and an abandonment of its liberal and egalitarian view of humanity. Something I simply do not see happening.
The other options are more realistic. I could be totally wrong, but I do not see the global solution considered by governments to provide a local solution. In other words, eliminating ISIS in the middle east will not eliminate the ideology that causes otherwise normal people to suddenly become mass murderers.
by blog.suarezinternational.com
