A question of terror
by: Economist.com
Categories:
Terrorism

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A HORRENDOUS terrorist attack in Mumbai prompts a nagging question: did we pay enough attention to terrorism in The World in 2009?

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Terrorism gets several mentions in our article on long shots for 2009. This refers to the possibility of political assassinations. It imagines the nightmare of a spectacular terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia, and what this might do to the oil price. And it cautions: As the memory of September 11th 2001 fades, the odds of a terrorist atrocity in America may seem to have lengthened—but the risk remains real.
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But we do not have a single, dedicated article that focuses on terrorism (and this blog has had to "create a new category" to have the tag "Terrorism" at the top). Was this a mistake?

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We hope not. It is possible, of course, that terrorists in India or elsewhere succeed in bringing about big shifts in policies and societies. And the risk of a new atrocity in America or of an innovative horror elsewhere does indeed remain real. Even if the phrase largely disappears with the Bush administration, the "war on terror" has not been won.

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Yet the experience of recent years suggests that the world adapts remarkably well to a hightened level of risk of terrorist attack. Commuters keep taking the tube in London. Travellers keep flying, albeit with increased hassle at the security checks. Tourists return to the resorts of Egypt (indeed, follow-up attacks seem to have less deterrent effect than an initial blast). Despite the spectacular emergence of al-Qaeda, the world economy boomed: it is a credit bubble, not a terrorist bomb, that has caused a global economic crisis.

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Terrorism will remain an unfortunate reality in 2009. Fingers crossed, though, it will not be a world-changing one.