LONDON AFTER THE TERROR ATTACK
July 18, 2005

            London, England. The British had a very singular, unique reaction to the recent terrorist attacks on three metro train cars and one bus: the didn’t alter their routine. They continued doing everything almost the same. In a clear act of defiance against the terrorists, they went out, resumed their use of public transportation, filled restaurants, bars, theaters and movie theaters.

            I arrived in London one day after the attacks that killed over fifty people, but at first I didn’t notice anything strange. The rhythm of the city did not seem to have undergone any radical change. The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, set an example by continuing to work at the summit of the eight most developed countries in the world (G-8).  Piccadilly and Trafalgar squares were jammed with tourists, the traffic a mess as usual, and the rest of the British capital immersed in a genuine attempt to return to normalcy.  And they almost did it.  Almost.

            But there is nothing normal about being afraid of getting onto the metro or a bus and being blown up seconds later by a bomb.  Perhaps we are getting used to living with fear.

            I must confess I felt a certain sense of apprehension when taking the Eurostar train from Paris to London. The engineering marvel that allows the trip to be made in two and a half hours through a tunnel under the sea, would be—I thought—a perfect terror target.  It would no doubt cause multiple deaths and the collapse of the tunnel, make worldwide headlines and create serious problems for two countries—France and England—both with growing Muslim populations.

            The really sad ting about the terrorist attacks on New York, Madrid and London is that now all of us, in some way, are thinking like terrorists.  A Mexican friend of mine absolutely refused to take the metro in London and I wasn’t too thrilled to climb into one of those red double-decker buses, just like the one that had exploded a few hours before.

            A quick look at the number of deaths occurring in the last three terrorist attacks might give us a false sense of security.  On September 11, 2001 almost three thousand people were killed in the United States; another 191 were killed in Madrid 16 months ago; and this time in London, the number of people killed or missing does not exceed 75.  But the problem is not the number of deaths, but rather the very uncomfortable sensation that terrorists can attack anywhere, anytime, regardless of the strict security measures put in place around the world over the last four years.

            The facts seem to contradict Bush and Blair.  These attacks show that we are not winning the war on terror and that the removal of Sadaam Hussein in Iraq has not made the world a safer place. Every bomb blast, every suicide attack, is a terrible defeat.

            Quite the contrary.  The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, have radicalized masses of Muslim youths who are prepared to commit suicide in terrorist attacks against the United States and its allies.  And the recent news that the suicide bombers in London grew up right there in England, sheds doubt on the triumphalist declarations that the war on terror is being won.

            The question now is not whether there will be another terrorist attack, but where and when. Could it be in Italy or El Salvador, two countries who have sent soldiers to Iraq?  Will it be on a plane, train or bus?  Will they poison the milk, the drinking water or employ radioactive material?  Before, we didn’t ask ourselves such questions.  Now we do.  And that is what has changed.  The terrorists are already messing with our minds.

            This, of course, is no comfort to anyone.  A very close relative of mine is currently traveling in Italy and I am now more concerned about a possible terrorist attack in that country—whose president, Silvio Berlusconi has unconditionally supported the war in Iraq—than I was before the explosions in London.  And what is really serious is that this constant fear that eats us up is not going away anytime soon.

            Therefore, faced with this panorama, the bravery and stoicism displayed by the British following the attacks is laudable and surprising. It took New Yorkers months to return to normalcy, the Spaniards took weeks, and the English just one day.  Just one.

            I’m no fan of the royal family in the 21^st century, but I was profoundly impressed by the statement Queen Elizabeth II issued following the visit she made to some of the wounded. The terrorists, she said, will not succeed in changing our way of life. And in that, the Queen and the entire British population have proven to be right.