Spain (and Europe) has a long and bloody history with terrorism, and has been fighting it long before the US got into the game - sometimes applying Draconian methods. The new Spanish leader, Prime Minister-elect Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, promises to keep the battle going. But not as a participant in cleaning up after the illegal war in a US-controlled Iraq. The Spanish Socialist Party is simply keeping its promise to the Spanish people. A promise made quite awhile ago when the previous leader, Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, supported the Iraq war against the wishes of the vast majority of Spaniards who were adamantly against it - and still are. But good news, PM Zapatero might maintain the Spanish troops in Iraq if the United Nations assumes control of Iraq from the US; unlikely scenario of course. As history tells us dating back to the Roman Empire, battling and killing insurgents and terrorists of this ilk is a war that cannot and will not be won. Not on the battlefield alone at any rate. This war on terrorism has only spawned a new and larger generation of terrorists, worldwide. A new breed that many experts find more fearsome. And, al Qaeda only scratches the surface. And, there's another group that is a potentially greater threat, and one that avoids media attention at all costs - and has been a bloody thorn in our sides for decades.
As an aside, there does not seem (yet) to be any 'conclusive' evidence that al Qaeda planned and/or executed the train bombing in Madrid. The previous Spanish administration was still indicating that the Basque separatist group, ETA, were responsible - but whether they believed it or not, they were concerned that if the elecorate believed that al Qaeda was responsible, there could be a backlash that could spoil the election for them. But even if it as shown undeniably to be a ETA operation before the election, the election would still have been close with maybe a very slight Populist Party majority. Back in 2003, they were talking about a possible election upset in Spain following Spain's decision to support the war and subsequent US occupation of Iraq. We'll see soon if this is a trend with other elections in the years to come.
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Cheers,
Dan
Founder and CEO
LionsGate Creative
GoodPassRobot
Magelln
As an aside, there does not seem (yet) to be any 'conclusive' evidence that al Qaeda planned and/or executed the train bombing in Madrid. The previous Spanish administration was still indicating that the Basque separatist group, ETA, were responsible - but whether they believed it or not, they were concerned that if the elecorate believed that al Qaeda was responsible, there could be a backlash that could spoil the election for them. But even if it as shown undeniably to be a ETA operation before the election, the election would still have been close with maybe a very slight Populist Party majority. Back in 2003, they were talking about a possible election upset in Spain following Spain's decision to support the war and subsequent US occupation of Iraq. We'll see soon if this is a trend with other elections in the years to come.
----
Cheers,
Dan
Founder and CEO
LionsGate Creative
GoodPassRobot
Magelln
