Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Mumbai

Stratfor on Mumbai here:

By staging an attack the Indian government can't ignore, the Mumbai attackers have set in motion an existential crisis for Pakistan. The reality of Pakistan cannot be transformed, trapped as the country is between the United States and India. Almost every evolution from this point forward benefits Islamists. Strategically, the attack on Mumbai was a precise blow struck to achieve uncertain but favorable political outcomes for the Islamists.

I really hate to say this because I deplore the loss of life but in a really perverse sense I’m almost grateful. It is no secret that I consider the Islamo-fascist threat to be an existential (hate to echo the article but can't think of another word) one. It is my prayer that this will serve as a wake up call to a nation that has become bored/tired of the conflict

7 comments:

Stephanie said...

Which nation are you talking about? Ours or India? And if you meant us what is it you think we should be doing that we're not?

Scooter said...

Ours. I just have a sense that we're losing focus.

Stephanie said...

When you say "we", whom do you mean? Are you concerned that the folks whose job it is to watch for/investigate/prosecute terrorists aren't doing it? Or do you mean we're not seeing stories on the news and not talking about it on talk shows?

I'm all for not talking about it in the news and on talk shows. The less public attention it gets the better because attention is what they want. By all means, the people whose job it is to deal with it should be focused like lasers, but I have no reason to think they're not.

Scooter said...

I see your point but I fear that if the we/us aren't keeping it in mind then the we/protectors will be less diligent. That is why the perverse comment on Bombay/Mumbai. It serves as that reminder though I hate that it takes something so awful to remind us.

Stephanie said...

So you mean "we" regular people, as opposed professionals whose job it is to keep us secure?

I think every minute that we regular people spend talking about or fretting about terrorism is a minute of victory for terrorists. We regular people can't do anything by "keeping it in mind", so why is it important to do so?

Scooter said...

Yup, I mean we regular folks. I guess we just have to disagree here. Maybe I have too much of a "Remember the Alamo!" mindset. I don't mean losing sleep (I certainly don't) or obsessing (is that a word?).

If the mythically rational voters aren't reminded at least occasionally about unpleasant things, how do we know our elected officials and their appointees are hiring competent folks for those jobs to deal with the unpleasantness? I, too, want them focused like lasers.

We werent' exactly laser-like from the fall of the Shah, to Lebanon barracks (RR's most shameful moment in my mind), first WTC attack, Cole through 9/11.

Scooter said...

And I'm not so sure it's attention they want as much as submission.