Stardate 20040315.2238

(Captain's log): It would seem that engineering has finally gotten the bugs worked out of the subspace crystal ball. On the 6th, I wrote the following:

Given no further attacks within the US itself, and even a total absence of attacks against symbols of the US around the world or our citizens overseas (except in Iraq and other places where we're actively prosecuting the war), some have argued that the Bush administration has exaggerated the threat, and argued that our invasion of Iraq was unneeded and uncalled for. They now argue that we should stand down and rely on less violent, less confrontational approaches: more carrot, less stick. ...

Unfortunately, even if there had been a continuing stream of attacks against us, rhetoric could have gone both ways anyhow. Supporters of the war could use those attacks as evidence that we have to fight back against a very real peril, while opponents of the war could argue that the continuing string of attacks represented proof that the strategy behind the prosecution of the war was a failure.

This editorial was published by the IHT on March 11, the very day the bombs went off in Madrid. It says that the threat of Islamic terrorism has been massively overstated. And it says this:

Blair and Bush ultimately build their case on their personal intuitions, provoked by the Sept. 11 attacks, that something new had appeared in the world. They both concluded, as Bush was to put it, that they had to "rid the world of evil." But their argument that Islamic extremism is a "global threat" is indefensible. The Islamists can make spectacular attacks on Britain or the United States, but neither country, nor any of the other democracies, is in the slightest danger of being "engulfed" by terrorism, or shaken from its democratic foundations.

There's no real risk of terrorism! And even if there were, and even if the terrorists might slaughter civilians in huge quantities, it still doesn't actually justify a real war in response.

Of course, by Friday no one was willing to make the claim that the threat of terrorist attack was remote and minor. Instead, the new refrain was that the Anglo-American strategy was a failure and needed to be changed. The Guardian:

The victims of the commuter train bombings in Madrid and the Spaniards who came out of the streets last night surely deserve more than party political responses. Europe too needs to mould a different response to its September 11. Spain has a history which places it at the crossroads of the European and Arab worlds. It understands both traditions. It is a country where once Jew, Muslim and Christian lived together. An international conference, to bridge the divide between Muslim and Christian communities, should be one first step. But there are many others. We need to take the fight against terror out of America's hands. We need to get beyond the them and us, the good guys and the bad guys, and seek a genuinely collective response. Europe should seize the moment that America failed to grasp.

Europe will step up its fight against terrorism.

However, today Commission President Romano Prodi gave more credence to the idea by suggesting that anti-terrorism could be a portfolio for a Commissioner.

"We have to discuss thoroughly the entire [security] strategy and we will do it at the Summit next week. The anti-terrorism commissioner could be a piece of that strategy", said Mr Prodi.

Up until now, member states have been very slow at implementing anti-terrorism measures.

One bugbear with the Commission is the European Arrest Warrant.

Supposed to be implemented by all the member states by 1 January this year, five countries have still not done it - Germany, Italy, Austria, Greece and the Netherlands.

"The European Union has already put in place a series of measures to combat terrorism. What we need now is swift action to ensure that all of them are turned into reality", Commission spokesperson Reijo Kemppinen said on Monday (15 March).

Another issue is a pledge by member states in June 2002 to set up common penalties and sanctions to terrorist offences.

"The implementation of this instrument is not even close to perfect", Mr Kemppinen said, adding that the Commission intends to raise this issue with the Member States to ensure that the necessary actions are taken.

Europe will fight terrorism by deploying bureaucrats.

I confess I had entertained hope. I had hoped that they might realize that the groups which planned this attack are not interested in participating in international conferences – except, perhaps, by contributing explosive devices to them. When the people of Spain marched on Friday, I had hoped they felt the kind of steel resolve towards their enemies that most Americans felt after 9/11, a cold determination to make their enemies rue the day. When the Socialists got elected, I had hoped that their new Prime Minister designate, who h