"Spain: The Terrorists Lost"

By Gabriel Ash

Spanish voters gave a decisive blow to the right-wing and undemocratic Aznar government, which put Spain behind George Bush's war despite the strong disapproval of the overwhelming majority of Spaniards. They also did something almost unheard of in these reactionary days. They brought their politicians to account for something these politicians have actually been responsible for. Wow!

Somehow, in U.S. radical right circles, this has become "a victory for terrorists." The logic goes like this: Al-Qaeda wants the West out of the Middle East. It wants to establish a tit-for-tat in blood for perceived Western attacks on Islam, a price tag, as it were, for Western policy choices. According to this logic, the price of participating in the war has now been exacted from Spain. By refusing to up the antes and rally behind Bush's allies, the Spanish voters have effectively capitulated.

But the fans of the U.S. empire are confused. They also claim that terrorists are "nihilists," that they cannot be deterred or reasoned with, that Spaniards are deluded if they think they can avoid being targets of terror through "appeasement." On the contrary, their argument goes, changing policy under pressure will only make Spain even more of a target.

The problem is that these two descriptions of Al-Qaeda's goals contradict each other. Either Al-Qaeda is engaged in realpolitik, trying to deter opponents and influence their decisions by usual (if particularly gruesome) carrot and stick methods that political realists cherish, or it is engaged in a nihilist war without end, a war that can only feed on itself until it reaches doomsday.

If the goals of the Madrid bombers were to defeat Aznar, one must ascribe to them a realpolitik agenda designed to separate the U.S. from Europe. The success of such an agenda depends on some level of restraint and accommodation with Europe, as well as with any country willing to be neutral. Obviously, in order to move countries not to rally behind George Bush, Al-Qaeda must be able to "reward" those who have opted out of the conflict. In that case, "appeasement," far from being pointless, is a perfectly sound policy.

If, on the other hand, the perpetrators are beyond appeasement, it follows that their goal wasn't to defeat Aznar at all. If the terrorists are engaged in a merciless "war of civilization," for what purpose would they care about the identity of Spain's rulers? Isn't it then more plausible that they expected the opposite effect of what they got? They may have expected Spaniards to react in the same way Americans did after September 11. They may have expected Spain to lash out in a wave of anger against Muslims.

To be sure, it seems Al-Qaeda (or rather the different cells now independently using the Al-Qaeda moniker) is itself not of one mind. The Madrid attack, especially given the timing, seems designed as a deterrent, but other actions support the impression that Al-Qaeda's goal is to bring about escalation and to incite government to anti-Muslim repression.

This is the classic gambit of clandestine resistance. Radical Islamic groups can grow and become a real force only thanks to Western violence against more apolitical Muslims, who are then radicalized by the experience and driven to join the militant groups.

So far this strategy has worked like a charm. The U.S. responded to September 11 the way Pharaoh responded to the Ten Plagues, by getting ever more righteous and abusive. Bush has made Iraq into Bin Laden's Islam's outreach slogan, recruitment center, and boot camp.

There is at least some evidence that the goal of the Madrid bombing wasn't -- or at least wasn't only -- to defeat Aznar's ruling party, but rather to elicit a similar backlash of repression against Muslims in Spain, especially among the poor illegal Moroccan migrants. Why was a central mosque chosen as the location for dropping the Al-Qaeda tape (and why did the anonymous caller describe the location by reference to the mosque)? There is also something suspicious about the ease with which Moroccans have been implicated. Perhaps the terrorists were really clumsy. But perhaps a tide of anger directed towards the Moroccan minority is what they were after.

Whichever their goal was, "the war of civilizations," that shibboleth of global terrorists from the Pentagon to Tora Bora, suffered a blow in Spain. To those radical Muslims driven to terrorism by the perception of being under endless attack from the West, who seek an end to Western domination of their society, the best antidote is indeed to put an end to that domination, to withdraw the soldiers, to end support for Israel, and to try, for a change, mutual respect. To those whose goal is to incite further violence in order to polarize their own societies and bring about a total war against "the West," the best antidote is to deprive them of their recruiting grounds, by refusing to play their game of escalation and victimization.

The reaction of the Spanish voters so far has been wise, almost supernaturally so. Both Richard Perle and Osama Bin Laden must be hissing and huffing.

Gabriel Ash was born in Romania and grew up in Israel. He is an unabashed "opssimist." He writes his columns because the pen is sometimes mightier than the sword - and sometimes not. He lives in the United States. From: yellowtimes.org

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Tuesday, March 16th, Ayinde posted:

Aznar Was Going Anyway:

The Truth About the Spanish Elections

By Sam Hamod and Alfredo Reyes, www.todaysalternativenews.com

Contrary to what American political pundits have been saying, former President Aznar was not cruising to an early victory prior to the bombings in Madrid. Remember, the Spanish people had overwhelming voiced opposition to Spain entering the Iraq war as an ally of Bush and Blair; their anger at Aznar for the deaths of their soldiers was ripe in their minds as was the economic turmoil this has caused for Spain. This in addition to the Basque problem that was troubling Madrid.

Let us say that the bombing was the final straw for Aznar. The people were already angry, regardless of the government polls that showed him leading. Most of us in the country knew that he would lose this race because he was leading Spain into a disaster like that of Bush and the U.S. But once again, as is the case these days, the Amerian media paints pictures the way Bush wants them, not the way they are. Thus, they paint Aznar's loss as a total result of the bombings; this is patently untrue.

Now the people of Spain have decided that if Bush wants to put the American people at peril, and Blair wants to do the same for Great Britain, and Berlisconi for Italy, then let them have their little game and take the consequences because it is now clear that no one of these aggressor nations will escape the wrath of the Muslim militants and that retaliation is only a matter of time.

Some have asked what Al Qa'eda wants, as if they didn't know. Al Qa'eda and other Arab and Muslim groups have made clear that their wants are few: 1. Stop total support of Israel in their killing of Palestinians. Level the playing field so that justice can be served for both sides, not just helping Israel brutalize the Palestinians and stop allowing Israel from stealing their land and continuing this illegal wall. 2. Get out of Iraq and Afghanistan, both Muslim lands and places that America does not belong. 3. Get out of the Muslim Holy Land of Saudi Arabia, and in a short time, get out of all Muslim and Arab lands. If not, the attacks will not stop.

It is time for the West, especially the U.S., Great Britain and Italy, and Poland as well for they may become a target if this pattern persists in Al Qa'eda attacks, to get out of the Muslim world or face attacks that will hurt the innocent people of these countries while the leaders continue to reward their friends with lucrative contracts for the occupation of lands that they do not belong in.

The Spanish people have made their voice heard. We are sure others will be heard in the near future because Mr. Bush's adventures should not be paid for with innocent blood of American troops, British troops or civilians in any nation on the earth. Up to now, it has been primarily Arab and Muslim blood that has been spilled. Unfortunately, now, innocent Spanish blood has been spilled, following innocent American blood, both on March 11. It is time for this to stop, but the only men who can stop it are Bush and Blair, the cells of Al Qa'eda now seem to acting on their own, which means matters are more dangerous than ever for the West.

Sam Hamod is editor of todaysalternativenews.com; Alfredo Reyes is an independent writer based in Madrid.

Wednesday, March 17th, Edison posted:

Madrid: UN's Credibility Critically Wounded
Within hours of Thursday's fateful Madrid blasts the United Nations Security Council met. During a five minute session the council's 15 members unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the Basque separatist group ETA for the deadly attacks. But as it became increasingly clear that ETA was not responsible, questions of attempted manipulation of the public were abundant.

Spain's ruling Popular Party went down in defeat to the Socialists in Sunday's national election. It did so amid accusations that the government had withheld information on the bombings in an effort to influence the forthcoming vote.
www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0316-01.htm