The Neurotic Boston Manhunt

This time, the U.S. did not invade Iraq, nor did it set up torture camps for its captives. Nevertheless, the manhunt in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings was characterized by an overreaction that can be explained only by the unusual attitude of the U.S. toward terror. Because of one seriously wounded suspect, millions of people were made captives in their own homes, and an entire city was paralyzed.

As shocking as the marathon bombing was and as bloody the trail left by the fleeing brothers, the actual level of danger they posed to the residents of Boston was comparatively low. The police lockdown did not help by restricting everyone to their homes: Dzhokar Tsarnaev was not captured until a citizen was able to leave the confines of his house, finding Tsarnaev hiding in a boat in his backyard.

The continuous news coverage of President Obama’s comments, plus the public celebration after the suspects were apprehended, all contributed to making everything far more dramatic than it actually was: Were it not for the sympathy the public feels for the victims of their criminal act, the isolated act of two fanatics would, otherwise, never even have been noted in the annals of U.S. crime history.

No other nation treats terrorism as neurotically as the U.S. It begs the question of whether — aside from the economic and human costs — such reactions do not actually play into the hands of the terrorists.