5/3/10

This weekend, an "amateurish" car bomb in Times Square was foiled thanks to New York City residents and local police.  Many details remain unclear and no motive has yet been determined.  Officials say surveillance footage has shown a "white man who appeared to be in his 40s" walking away from the area.  Officials have also said that there was no evidence to support a claim of responsibility issued by a Pakistani Taliban group, which has falsely taken credit for past incidents. 

This is at least the tenth such plot on New York foiled since 9/11/2001, and the city continues to thrive.  Just hours after the failed attack was discovered and the vehicle removed, Times Square was once again packed and back to business.  The vendor who alerted police was among the first back at work, "out here showing my colors" at 8:30 Sunday morning.

Such resiliency has "historically been one of the United States' great national strengths," says terrorism expert and President of the Center for National Policy Stephen Flynn.  While resilience foils terrorists' intentions, the overreaction and fear-mongering advocated by some conservatives creates a siege mentality that works against America's interests and strengths.  Today we can be proud of our police and our fellow-citizens - and we should all take a lesson from New York.    

As facts surrounding the failed car bomb in Times Square emerge, officials continue search for suspects.  On Saturday evening in Times Square, a street vendor alerted police to a smoking Nissan Pathfinder, which had been parked and left with the keys in the ignition.  According to the NY Times, "Law enforcement officials offered a more detailed description of the makeup of the failed car bomb found in Times Square on Saturday night, and said they were reviewing surveillance footage that showed a white man who appeared to be in his 40s walking away from the area as he looked over his shoulder and removed a layer of clothing.  Raymond W. Kelly, the New York City police commissioner, said on Sunday that the materials found in the Nissan Pathfinder - gasoline, propane, firecrackers and simple alarm clocks - also included eight bags of a granular substance, later determined to be a grade of fertilizer that is not explosive, inside a 55-inch-tall metal gun locker." 

The Washington Post reports that "Investigators pored over hundreds of hours of surveillance video to pinpoint potential evidence or suspects, including the man, carrying a backpack, who can be seen changing his shirt. Based on the video footage, police think the Pathfinder entered the area at 6:28 p.m. and was discovered by vendors within minutes.  Police identified the owner of the Pathfinder but did not release his name. ‘Obviously, it wasn't an accident,' Kelly said. ‘It was somebody who brought this to the location to send a message, to terrorize people in the area.' Fingerprints and a vehicle identification number were recovered, officials said. The license plate had apparently been taken from another vehicle; it was traced to a Connecticut auto shop, whose owner is not under suspicion." As the NY Times explains, "No motive had been determined in the attempted bombing."  While the Pakistani Taliban has attempted to claim responsibility for the car bomb, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and Mayor Michael Bloomberg "said police have no evidence to support the claims, and noted that the same group had falsely taken credit for previous attacks on U.S. soil," according to the Associated Press. [NY Times, 5/2/10. Washington Post, 5/3/10. AP, 5/2/10]

New Yorkers demonstrate resilience, refuse to give in to fear.  During and after the bomb scare this weekend, New York City residents showed why awareness and resolve are the best means for defusing terrorist threats.  The Associated Press reported on the NYC street vendor who calmly alerted police of the suspected vehicle: "Duane Jackson, a 58-year-old handbag vendor from Buchanan, N.Y., said he noticed the car and wondered who had left it there in a no-standing zone. Jackson said he looked in the car and saw keys in the ignition with 19 or 20 keys on a ring. He said he alerted a passing mounted police officer." Following the scare, New York City officials were keen not to raise fears unnecessarily by indulging in speculation about the thwarted attack.

The next morning, it was clear that New Yorkers and visitors alike would not be intimidated by the evening's drama.  The Washington Post reported: "...it was a testament to the national resilience that Times Square was packed again Sunday morning, just a few hours after the vehicle was disarmed and removed. The only visible signs of the close call the night before were the scores of police officers on the scene, including the white Technical Assistance Response Unit vans surveying the hours of video surveillance recordings from the cameras that are a ubiquitous staple of New York's post-Sept. 11 life."  After alerting the police, Jackson didn't make it home till 5 a.m., but according to the Post, he "was back on his corner by 8:30 a.m." "This is kind of the belly of the beast or whatever," said Jackson, "[b]ut I'm just out here showing my colors." In a piece for Foreign Affairs in 2008, Steve Flynn, now President of the Center for National Policy, noted: "Resilience has historically been one of the United States' great national strengths...A climate of fear and a sense of powerlessness caused by the threats of terrorism and natural disasters are undermining American ideals and fueling political demagoguery. Rebuilding the resilience of American society is the way to reverse this and respond to today's challenges." [AP, 5/2/10. Washington Post, 5/3/10. Steve Flynn, via Foreign Affairs, March/April 2008 ]

If America overreacts-as the Cheney crowd advocates -terrorists are successful. Editor of Newsweek International and Washington Post Columnist Fareed Zakaria writes that "The purpose of terrorism is to provoke an overreaction. Its real aim is not to kill the hundreds of people directly targeted but to sow fear in the rest of the population. Terrorism is an unusual military tactic in that it depends on the response of the onlookers. If we are not terrorized, then the attack didn't work." Similarly, Marc Lynch, senior fellow at CNAS and professor at George Washington University, explains that an "overreaction" to terrorism attempts plays "right into the hands of a terrorist group."  The same is true for an individual. 

Yet, extreme conservatives are already using this incident for political ends, building on a regrettable track record of overreaction and hyper-partisanship that denigrates  our police and military and actually makes us more vulnerable. For example, The Heritage Foundation's Morning Bell responded to the event in Times Square saying: "Unfortunately this Congress and this President have repeatedly prioritized politics over security. Instead of providing stability and confidence in the intelligence community by seeking long-term renewal of key investigatory authorities authorized under the USA Patriot Act, President Obama has settled for a six-month extension tacked on to the Defense appropriations bill."

These remarks build on past statements of Former Vice President Dick Cheney, Liz Cheney and Bill Kristol's organization, Keep America Safe, and others who have denigrated the FBI, military leadership, Justice Department prosecutors and police in their effort to discredit the Obama administration's policies.  [Fareed Zakaria, 1/11/10. Marc Lynch, 1/2/10. Heritage Foundation, 5/3/10. Washington Independent, 4/14/10. NY Times, 4/14/10. Politico,3/8/10. Politico, 3/7/10.  Washington Post, 2/19/10. Dick Cheney, via the Washington Times, 12/18/10. Washington Post, 3/4/10]

What We're Reading

Euro-region ministers agreed to a 110 billion-euro ($146 billion) rescue package for Greece to prevent a default and stop the worst crisis in the currency's 11-year history from spreading through the rest of the bloc.

Opinion polls indicate that Britain remains on course for a hung parliament, raising the rare prospect of a minority or coalition government after Thursday's election.

A report from the Afghan government said civilian deaths in the last month jumped by one-third over the same period a year ago.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will address the United Nations Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference in New York today.

Emboldened by his party's electoral success, the president of Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdistan region is intensifying his demands for greater sovereignty and control of oil, adding more complexity to the already tumultuous government formation process.

U.S.-brokered, indirect peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians are likely to resume Thursday; the White House brought Palestinians back on board with a pledge that the U.S. would consider allowing a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israel for building in disputed territory.

The only surviving gunman of the 2008 Mumbai shootings was convicted of waging war against India, murder, conspiracy and other crimes during the three-day assault that killed more than 160 people.

Darfur's most powerful rebel group said it was suspending peace talks with Sudan's government, accusing Khartoum of attacking villages and military positions in breach of a cease-fire.

Mexico's crime syndicates appear to be escalating their attacks against the state, increasingly targeting police commanders and public officials over police officers and soldiers.

A special train carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is reported to have crossed into China early Monday on a trip to his country's last remaining major ally; if true, it's the first time the reclusive dictator has left his country since a stroke in 2008.

Commentary of the Day

Ernest Bower writes that future opportunity for U.S. growth depends on whether President Obama focuses on Southeast Asia, not just China and India.

Noah Weisboard explores the pros and cons of a new International Criminal Court movement that aims to add "aggression" to the list of the crimes that the ICC can prosecute.

NSN's Pat Barry makes the case for letting Iran's leaders continue to ruin their own economy - and take the blame for the fallout.

 

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