A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

In the Shadow of Brussels

The Brussels attacks have been met with several disturbing responses from US Presidential candidates, particularly Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, raising questions about Muslim communities in the West. It is perhaps a good time to repeat that the whole purpose of terrorism is to spread terror, that Muslim countries are struggling with terrorist bombings as well (consider Turkey), and that if we descend into fear and suspicion we are doing exactly what the Islamic State wants. ISIS has lost much territory on the battlefields in Syria and Iraq, and these overseas terror attacks are a means of minimizing the effect of that. Let's stay level-headed, vigilant but not panicked.

2 comments:

David Mack said...

Hillary Clinton, speaking today at Stanford University on the war against terrorism, was in full Commander in Chief mode. Surrounded by both Republican and Democratic national security experts, like former Secretary of State George Shultz and former Secretary of Defense Bill Perry, she delivered a speech that was deadly serious and had pointed criticism of positions taken by Trump and Cruz. She never cracked a smile, never mentioned being a grandmother. She looked presidential, completely appropriate for the day after the Brussels bombing.

Anonymous said...

Appearances are everything in US politics.

All she lacks is a cowboy hat and a ranch to clear brush from.