September 11, 2001.
Members from Al-Qaeda hijack several planes and use them as a weapon to bring down a building. Their motive behind this was not only to destroy the Twin Towers, but also to scare people and convey a message. In the aftermath, the US got into a crisis, and security has been increased to make sure nothing like this would happen again.
April 15, 2013.
Two bombs are detonated during the Boston Marathon. Subsequently, security forces have been deployed around the country, as officials fear that other kinds of attacks might happen in a close future.
Terror attacks carry this expression because they are not only intended to harm people physically. Instead, they terrorize, evoking fear into the minds of those who were not injured on the disaster. Those two deaths in Boston were not planned. What has definitely been subject of study by whomever carried out this attack was how it would affect people in the country and in the rest of the world.
Take for example the recent bomb threat in the Times Square. Although the situation has not resulted in casualties, the fear was great enough that security procedures have been revised and reinforced. Police presence is much more seen, new restrictions have been created, intelligence officers try to predict other threats.
People in the USA are now scared, advised to stay in their homes. The government does not recommend people to congregate publicly in large groups. The White House is now a lot more secure than it was less than a day ago. President Barack Obama still cannot explain to his own compatriots what has just occurred. TV broadcasters have been working non-stop to gather information. Americans don’t yet know the truth.
From my point of view, which may be incorrect, the explosions in Boston really are a product of terrorists. Yes, we could blame an insane American for doing this. Yes, we can agree with those conspiracy theories that always appear after a disaster. Yes, we could accuse other governments of planning the catastrophe. However, these approaches would be simply wrong, or at least incomplete.
The bombings have succeeded in escalating tensions in the US. Every newsroom is talking about it, people are starting to become worried. This is why many officials are trying to avoid jumping to conclusions before all factors are taken into account. They know that outright chaos does not make everyone safe. The concern can be noted when analyzing the information provided by the authorities.
In the JFK library, there has been another incident. The police first thought the incidents were related, but now they claim it was caused by a fire, not a bomb. It is also important to notice that Obama has not used the word “terror” while addressing to journalists at the White House. There is no doubt that a simple speech using words related to terrorism reminds people of 9/11.
Obama’s administration is not ready to face this kind of issue. His government was trying to dissociate America’s reputation from the concept of “the world’s police”, specially in the Middle-East. Right now, the President must show more than his lack of knowledge about what has happened and his fear to provoke panic throughout the US. More than bringing those who are responsible to justice, he needs to prevent another attack.
In spite of the fact that I’m not American, I do believe in a safer future for the people in the US. The country’s military has moved to fight terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan, its SEAL’s invaded Pakistan to capture Bin Laden, and yet disasters like this one today still happen. On the other hand, I hope the bombings don’t trigger an exaggerated response that could lead to a war similar to the conflicts started by ex-president Bush.
Originally published on thimabi.wordpress.com.