The London Attacks -- First Impressions
The obvious question: I cannot help but be reminded of 9/11 right now. The scale of these attacks is obviously not comparable, though it does not take much imagination to envision a scenario in which the death tolls could have ranged into the hundreds given that the detonations of the first and last bombs happened about an hour apart, and so authorities were able to evacuate most of the Underground. Furthermore, for the hundreds of victims and their families whose lives have been forever changed, scale and scope are not the most important thing. There is an element of British resolve, or stiff-upper-lip, or stoicism, or other cultural clichés that nonetheless resonate with an element of truth, but in the end, the footage I am seeing shows horror, dismay, sadness, frustration, and anger.
In one key way the feeling is the same as it is whenever there is a major attack – the BBC continues to try to give answers that are not coming in real time. No one can confirm who did this, whether the attacks came from suicide bombers or from explosives that had been planted earlier. “Secret Organization group of al-Qaeda of Jihad in Europe,” previously unknown, has claimed responsibility on a website devoted to jihad, but this can neither be confirmed nor denied. This clearly has all of the fingerprints of al Qaeda, and is especially reminiscent of the Madrid bombing, but given that the G8 is meeting in Gleneagles in Scotland, and London just won the Olympic bid, other possibilities should not be ruled out.
This should not have come as a surprise, though attacks like this always come as a shock. With the successful London Olympic bid and Live 8 and the long-planned G8 meeting, London was an obvious target. The world’s attention is on this part of the world, never moreso than now. But London, England, the UK will not be cowed. Tony Blair is clearly resolute. The world will rally behind the British people. Al Qaeda, or whoever did this, will not win, though in the short-term they were able to turn one of the most exciting times in recent British history into one of the most tragic.
I want to thank the many folks who have called and emailed. Oxford is an hour away from London, and though it was a distinct possibility that I would go to London this weekend, and though I have to go next week, I am well insulated from anything that went on today. I certainly will not be deterred from going to the capital, and if anything, I am probably likely to go there more often, not less, as the next month-and-a-half progresses. I’ve spent most of the last two hours talking with worried university officials and various members of the media from West Texas. Other than a background spent thinking, writing, teaching, and talking about the issue of global terrorism for the last few years, I don’t have any more insight than anyone else. I suppose it feels more immediate than it would if I were in the US, and I have the benefit of proximity, but mostly, like everyone else, I am saddened and angry and frustrated and devastated. But also resolute and hopeful.