Summary
TERRORISTS can achieve their aims not just through some act of terrifying violence, such as forcing airliners to fly into tall buildings. They are just as effective by mere threats of possible violence. Forcing countries to take extreme measures for the protection of their people is a tool that terrorists and those of like mind can make with appalling simplicity. All it takes is a phone call, whether as a direct threat to some agency or via a cellphone in the knowledge that some authority is likely to be monitoring calls for specific, threatening words. And once such messages are received, no responsible government can avoid taking actions that will hamper transport, trade and other aspects of everyday life, but only because the lives of its citizens appear to be in danger.
The United States lifted its security awareness just before Christmas when authorities became aware of threats. Details are sparse and it is impossible to judge how credible those threats were. Was the US over-reacting? Alas, therein lies the rub of terrorism today. Possibly authorities in that country were too keen to push the panic button. But we can say that only because nothing happened. Imagine the outcry if some terrorist act had been perpetrated and authorities did nothing because they did not wish to disrupt Christmas.See the full content of this document
Extract
Why Terrorists Have It Easy
Airlines were once again the primary focus of US authorities, particularly its all-powerful Department of Hom...
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