You may have thought that after September 11, terrorism wouldn’t have such a “human face” in Europe anymore. The Irish had good reasons to abate their attacks (Americans are notably involved in the support to the IRA, and this may have not been so palatable anymore after having been the victims of large-scale terrorism on their own soil). Corsican terrorism remains as an item of local French folklore little appreciated outside of the hexagon. One should not forget, however, that all those organizations are tied together in what has been described as an “Internationale terrorist.”
You might have thought, too, that after the March 11 attacks in Madrid, ETA (initially accused of the massacre) would have had good reasons to remain quieter. This was not the case, of course, as ETA killed two people in a bomb blast at Madrid’s airport in December ’06. In the true fashion of the terrorist rhetoric so lucidly analyzed by media critic Daniel Dayan, who coined the term "hermeneutic terrorism," ETA then maintained that the “permanent cease-fire” it had declared in March of 06 was “still in vigor.”
We have just received word, however, that ETA declared an end to its cease-fire. Is this just a publicity stunt in a final attempt to deny its redundancy? El País says that recent reports from the security agencies warned that ETA was actively preparing new attacks. According to the editorialist, ETA’s distinguishing characteristic is “its pretension to legitimacy.” This is indeed a hallmark of all forms of terrorism. But we must be careful not to fall into the trap described by Dayan: “hermeneutic terrorism,” by leaving blank the “justification” tab, lets the victims fill it themselves in utter confusion, ending with the self-accusations typical of a certain intellectual trend. Chickens coming home to roost, anyone?
Now, ETA is not properly speaking practicing this “hermeneutic terrorism" since the liberation of the Basque country has always been its declared goal. But in the European context, where the legitimacy of terrorism overseas has often been vindicated by public opinion, there are larger reasons to worry about renewed ETA terrorism continuing its bloody trend. Given the group's more localized political grievances, might justifications for Basque violence also translate into a more dangerous, if only latent, sympathy for al-Qaeda?
In a climate where the “war on terror” is increasingly frowned upon by the Western public, it may well be that Europeans will tolerate some form of terrorism at home by blaming an external agent, and request that anti-terrorist measures, which could be too reminiscent of the distant wars they see on television, be remitted. What is needed now more than ever is a stronger alliance between people sharing the same basic values, such as a respect for human rights.
Once I originally commented I clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now every time a comment is added I get four emails with the identical comment. Is there any approach you’ll be able to take away me from that service? Thanks!
I have been in the same situation before. It’s not as easy an answer as you think it is, it is something that you will need to think through for yourself over a period of time.