Mumbai: Could it happen here?
What the attacks in India say about the terrorist threat Americans still face at home
The Mumbai terrorist attacks were a "ghastly reminder" for us all, said David Ignatius in The Washington Post. Islamic militants—including those affiliated with al Qaida—are as capable of mounting deadly, "meticulously planned" assaults as they were on Sept. 11, 2001. "For Americans watching the carnage, the obvious question was: Could it happen here?"
And the obvious answer is "yes," said Robert Spencer of in Human Events online. The entire "civilized world" is unprepared for attacks like the ones that killed at least 175 people in Mumbai. And we'll remain unprepared until we firmly demand that Muslim leaders everywhere condemn murder committed in the name of Islam.
For the sake of potential victims everywhere, said Thomas Friedman in The New York Times, let's hope ordinary Pakistanis take to the streets to protest these attacks by men apparently trained in their country. "The best defense against this kind of murderous violence" is for the home society to discourage recruits by isolating and condemning the murderers.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Pakistan clearly can't contain the terrorists within its borders, said Bernard-Henri Levy in The Wall Street Journal. And that's chilling, since the jihadist group believed responsible, Lashkar-e-Taiba, counts the rogue father of Pakistan's nuclear program, A.Q. Khan, among its sympathizers. This time it was neighboring India that suffered, but anybody could be next.
So it's time to take stock here in the U.S., said The Washington Post in an editorial. A new bipartisan report said it’s more likely than not that, somewhere in the world, a weapon of mass destruction will be used within five years. Barack Obama's Homeland Security team should use coming confirmation hearings to discuss "what's working and what isn't" in our efforts to prevent the next attack on U.S. soil.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
When families cross the aisle against presidential candidates
In The Spotlight Tim Walz's cousins, Donald Trump's niece and nephew, RFK Jr.'s siblings: When it comes to running for office, blood is not necessarily thicker than water
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Boeing's Starliner to come home empty
Speed Read Astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore will return on a SpaceX spacecraft in February
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Hunter Biden pleads guilty to tax charges
Speed Read In an unexpected move, President Joe Biden's son pleads guilty to tax fraud and avoids a trial
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published