Globalization of fear
The fact that after two crusading «wars against terrorism» the popularity of field marshals Bush and Blair and «corporals» such as Berlusconi has slid dramatically is a matter of concern for them as well as for their distressed spin doctors who are now under pressure to come up with a remedy. However, the fact that in the wake of two murderous wars – first in Afghanistan and then in Iraq (neither of which we can say are really over because neither Osama bin Laden nor Saddam Hussein have been arrested) – the entire planet is a much less safe place is an issue that concerns everyone, whether they backed the warmongering strategies, opposed the war or just kept quiet. And it concerns them because the countries being targeted in the «war against terrorism» can no longer be counted on the fingers of one hand but are spreading across the globe. But whichever way you look at it, the result is the same: widespread fear and a paralyzing insecurity. If «the end of innocence» has really arrived, this is not just of concern to the USA – as we were told after the September 11 attacks – but to all countries, whether they were involved in the conflicts or not, whether they are next to the «hot spots» or further away (but not far enough to be out of danger). The bombs of the fundamentalists do not discriminate the innocent from the guilty; they make no exceptions; they do not distinguish between nationalities, religions, ages, feelings…
