Without Panic

It is not unlikely that the packaged bombs loaded onto cargo planes from Great Britain and Dubai were sent to the USA in order to bring up a theme of remembrance shortly before the American Congressional midterm elections tomorrow, a theme that people there have already forgotten. In actual U.S. elections, the terrorism/fear card rarely plays a role. There, it’s about economic problems, the high unemployment rate, the fear of a long lasting decline of America. In short: America is busy with itself; it’s looking inward.

During the last decade, it was often different. After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the “War on Terror” was long the dominant theme from New York to San Francisco. Two wars have been started by the USA in that war’s name, in Afghanistan and in Iraq. If it was right or not, if Guantanamo and torture are necessary or not, or should be allowed or not — all of that was argued passionately.

Even two years ago, during the presidential election, that was an all-important theme, even as the recession and the financial crisis loomed in the background. Barack Obama’s meteoric rise was only understandable within the context of his standing on the Iraq war, which he criticized earlier than others.

Many in the USA understood his triumph in 2008 not only as a break, because for the first time a black man moved into the White House as president. America appeared to have finally moved out of the shock of 9/11. However, one would like to view the mixed governmental balance of the president of the USA after two years; at this point, Obama has accomplished all of the work.

In the U.S. conscience, a change has occurred. The association with the unchanged, very real terrorism threat became rational. It goes in with the security/political debates today around concrete arrangements against concrete threats. That this launched Obama’s withdrawal from Iraq, where al-Qaida has been a nuisance since the U.S. invasion in 2003 aimed to drive them out, is largely undisputed. Also, the military presence in Afghanistan is now openly discussed.

It doesn’t matter any more, to put Osama bin Laden with the likes of Hitler and Lenin, in order to coerce America to war. This is also credited to the unexcited anti-terror policies of the Obama administration. The hard balance between alertness and panic doesn’t always sit well with this president either. After the attempted attack on an airplane over Detroit in December, Obama was criticized because he silently went on vacation for three days during the episode. This time, he came before the cameras early, without degenerating into an alarmist.

Now, when terrorists plot against America and Europe, it doesn’t mean that the danger of terrorism has grown. Where possible, the jihadists yearn for the good old days, in which the whole held its breath in terror.