Who is the terrorist, the suicide bomber or the government that tries to prevent him?

The answer to the question above should be clear to any sane person-at least if ‘government’ above referred to above is Indonesia or even Thailand.

But what if I was also referring to the US, UK or even Israel? I hazard a guess that some among us would be slightly sympathetic with the bomber and utterly disgusted with the trio above-whom our government leaders try to insinuate as ‘imperialists’. And almost simultaneously, without good reason, we think of Iraq. Now that’s ironic, because the atrocious numbers in Iraq are due mostly to the lack of security thereof, suggesting that state (or foreign) intervention actually helps prevent suicide bombings and the horrors that accompany it.

Number of suicide bombings attacks in Iraq according to year.

Mar 2003-Dec 2003	29
Jan 2004-Dec 2004	140
Jan 2005 -Dec 2005	478
Jan 2006-Dec 2006	280
Jan 2007-July 2007	262

(Source: Wikipedia.com)

A recent study on suicide bombing suggests that it remains (and thankfully so!)  an ineffective military strategy. (Via:Stumbling and Mumbling) The conflict surveyed was the Second Intifada and contrasting strategies by Israeli security forces and Palestinian militants were compared. Anyone who is interested in the Middle East should read the paper.

This Times article reminds me one again of something we often forget in this part of the world when we read (or watch) about violence associated with extremism. Sometimes its not about religion or even the US occupation of Iraq, but the misguided sense of heroism that drives the suicide bombers. Islam is just incidental to fanning that ember.

This post, IMHO, puts much of the moral debate about these issues in proper perspective. Written by and Iraqi national, it should prevent some of us from lashing out with ‘Western bias!’ (Via: Global Voices Online)