Terror attacks in London: Experts Disagree
Friday July 8th 2005

Public Internet Forums in London are ablaze with anger as a result of yesterday’s bombing in London. Some posters demand deporting Muslims or even banning Mosques.

Three bombs were detonated in the underground (London's subway system) and one was detonated in a bus.  Explosions occurred near the Aldgate, Russell Square and Edgware Road stations and on a Route 30 bus at Woburn Place. Panicked passengers were trapped in smoke filled trains for up to 20 minutes.

The Underground was completely shut down and roads were closed near the bombings.  Bus services were later shut down all across London. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair confirms fears that it was a coordinated terror attack, but appeals for calm, asking people not to travel to London or make unnecessary calls to emergency services.  

Here in the US the 9/11 attacks gave us an understanding of the hostility toward the “Enemy”. But not all experts agree on the best course of action. Experts in the Bush Administration feel a strong, tough approach is best, but professor Grosscup at California State University in Chico recommends a different approach in fighting these desperate, and unidentifiable enemies.

He tells Best Syndication “Only time will tell if a pure military solution that depends a great deal on dropping bombs from the sky on civilians will not work or will only exacerbate the 'problem.' “.  In talk shows and in his book, “The Newest Explosions of Terrorism: Latest Sites of Terrorism in the 1990’s and Beyond (New Horizon Press), he makes a strong case against what he labels as the neo-conservative approach.

In the twenty years after receiving his Ph.D. in international relations at the University of Massachusetts, he has fought an uphill battle trying to make his point. In the classroom, and talk shows, and his book, he asks, “If history shows that a violent response to an act of terrorism begets more terrorism, then why is a violent response the predominant choice of experts and politicians of the world?”.

His position is that we should listen to the grievances of terrorists. In a recent interview he sited the solution used in Northern Ireland. By hearing grievances and negotiations the problems appears to be solved. He believes America and Britain’s terror problems can be solved in the same way.

Because it is impossible to protect ourselves from all attacks, there is no real security from dedicated terrorists and therefore the best solution may lie in a change in policy. He has indicated that the War in Iraq may cause America and her allies more heartache in the future.

One thing for certain, this is not like any war we have faced.

 Related Articles:  Suspects Identified

By Dan Wilson
Best Syndication Staff Writer

Keywords and misspellings:  war on terror groscut goscut irac londom thier undderground