How should we interpret the attacks in Mumbai? Arthur Herman, a distinguished military historian, writes in National Review Online that the standard interpretations are probably wrong. He gives his analysis, which seems sound because it reflects historical experience:
It’s been fascinating, but also disheartening, to watch the mainstream media completely miss the real story about the 60-hour terrorist rampage in Mumbai, India — which may have killed as many as 300 people, and has certainly injured hundreds more. What died in Mumbai — besides scores of innocent people in their hotel rooms and at the Mumbai Jewish Cultural Center and on the blood-drenched platform at Chatrapathi Sivaji railway terminal — were certain illusions about the war on terror, and how to deal with terrorists.
Patriotism is an indispensable weapon in the defense of civilization against barbarism. And the catastrophe of Mumbai is not an act of terror but an act of barbarism.
So how to we fight this new war on terror
