On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 12:25:12 +0000 "www.leninology. blogspot.com"
<leninology at hotmail.com> writes:
> James Heartfield wrote:
>
> >Which just goes to show that the 'blowback' argument is entirely
> compatible
> >with a >contemptuous attitude to Arabs and Muslims - indeed I think
> it is
> >intrinsically contemptuous, seeing >them as merely reactive, not
> capable of
> >moral choices.)
>
> What *absolute* twaddle. The concept of blowback does not involve
> the
> supposition that its agents are merely reactive, incapable of
> pursuing other
> choices. The only claim it involves is that if you engage in
> aggressive
> policies toward some parts of the world, some people may eventually
> want to
> exact revenge - not necessarily in ways that most people would find
> acceptable.
>
> Obviously - and I really do hate to repeat the obvious - those who
> carried
> out these acts are not friends of the oppressed. They are
> ideologues
> espousing a particular kind of Islamism, one which involves the
> degradation
> of non-Muslim lives (where 'Muslim' is understood least charitably).
>
> However, none of that takes away from the supposition that they
> would have
> been less inclined to blow up parts of London had it not been for
> the
> decision by the British government to go for war. There is nothing
> racist
> or contemptuous about such a notion.
>
> The tactic of implying guilt by association - linking Nick Griffin
> to such a
> view - is less effective than it is irritating.
>
Although we still do not know for certain whether or not the London attacks were the work of suicide bombers, the following which I wrote for another discussion list would still, I think, be applicable to understanding what happened in the UK.
-------------------------------------------------------------- University of Chicago political scientist Robert Pape has just recently published a book on the subject of suicide bombing, "Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism", based on his studies of suicide bombing in Israel/Palestine, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, and other countries and he concludes that suicide bombing represents a rational military strategy under conditions of asymmetric warfare. He finds that almost invariably, suicide terrorism is guided by clearly identifiable strategic goals. Suicide bombings are not mere acts of wanton cruelty, though they are certainly cruel. Nor are they acts of desperation by the dispossessed. Rather, such attacks are nearly always carefully calibrated to accomplish the political goals of nationalist groups. In other words while we may find such acts to be appalling, they are not irrational. One of the main reasons why suicide terrorism has grown in frequency over the past couple of decades is that in many cases suicide bombings have proven effective in helping their perpetrators to achieve their goals.
Pape also cautions his readers not to overemphasize the influence of religion. In his research on suicide terrorism, Pape found that many of its perpetrators are not necessarily religious at all. This has been the case with the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, who, while of Hindu origin, are avowed Marxist-Leninists who disdain religion, who nevertheless have been perpetrating suicide attacks for many years. Even in the Middle East, many suicide bombings have been perpetrated by members of secular nationalist groups rather than by Islamists. This was the case in Lebanon and even in the case of Israel/Palestine, many of the Palestinian suicide bombers have come from the more secular groups like Fatah and even from the left-wing Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine as well from Islamist groups like Hamas.
The current wave of suicide terrorism appears to be more of a strategy designed to force the West to withdraw its military from the Middle East and Central Asia. As long as the US and its allies maintain a military presence in the region, suicide terrorism will continue. He therefore recommends that the US and its allies establish bases outside the region, maintain readiness, and focus on strengthening homeland security.
BTW readers who are interested in Pape's research can find on-line an article from him that appeared in American Political Science Review, a couple of years ago. This article, "The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism," can be found at:
http://danieldrezner.com/research/guest/Pape1.pdf and seems to provide a summary of the argument that he has more recently presented in greater detail in his book.
Jim F.