Mercurial

Last week bombings in Madrid shook the Spanish voters, forcing them to think about the implications of being at the tip of Europe, first, and about the way in which their government had been pandering to Bush & Inc.
That horrible tragedy, with its high death toll and the shock it brought on the Spanish population, was seized by the right-wing Popular Party, which behaved immorally and guiltily, as they withheld information and intelligence related to the true origin of the attacks. Instead, it was better to shift the blame on the ETA.
But secrets escape, specially when they are held under so much blood and suffering.
The Spanish reaction serves only to indicate that those marches held more than a year ago meant something to all the people that went outside and protested.
Some say that this result is a defeat for democracy: nonsense! It is precisely through democracy the this election came about, that the party that engaged its country in a war without either provocation or justification finally had to step down. That is democracy.

Now there is in effect a profound change in the dynamics of the approach against terrorism. There is no doubt that a continued effort to root out terror is as necessary as before the bombings took place. However, as Bruce Schneier points out, implementing theatrical security measures won't reduce attacks, and clearly human intelligence is the answer here.

What lies for Europe and the rest of the world as it confronts the specter of Al Qaeda? This conflict is neither about a territory nor a person, Afghanistan and Bin Laden notwithstanding, but against a response and ideology. It cannot be defeated using total war, and it serves no purpose to restrain liberties in an attempt to control everybody's lives. There is a solution, and it doesn't involve bombings and wiretaps.

The most important message comes from the people of Spain, that although shaken, refuse to be scared and decide to got to the polls, make themselves heard, protest in the way that a country does most effectively, and in that way honor their deceased compatriots. And their message is strong and clear.