Boston Bombing
It's spooky how little is known so far about the bombings in Boston on Monday. No group is claiming responsibility, and the intelligence authorities say they heard no "chatter" leading up to it that would indicate who did it, how, or why.
Who and Why are important questions for our ability, as a people, to process the tragedy. Knowing who did it puts a face and a name to it. Even if we don't know where that person is, even if we can't catch them-- like we didn't catch Osama bin Laden for 10 years-- we know who we're looking for. We're not looking at every stranger with suspicion or wondering what's around every corner with fear.
Knowing why the attack happened is equally important. We don't have to agree with the rationale. Very few agree with the anti-government revenge fantasy of Timothy McVeigh or the religious hatred of bin Laden. But we need to sense that there's a rhyme to the madness. Again, it helps us put the attacks in perspective so we're not fearing what lies around every corner.
In terms of how, my guess right now is that it was a very small group. That's because of two things: First, this was not a sophisticated attack. It was two bombs using do-it-at-home type technology, dropped amongst crowds in public. Second, the lack of prior intelligence. The larger the group, the greater the chance of detection, either through electronic communication intercept or human infiltration. This could well have been a single, troubled individual or a one-person cell of a foreign organization.
Who and Why are important questions for our ability, as a people, to process the tragedy. Knowing who did it puts a face and a name to it. Even if we don't know where that person is, even if we can't catch them-- like we didn't catch Osama bin Laden for 10 years-- we know who we're looking for. We're not looking at every stranger with suspicion or wondering what's around every corner with fear.
Knowing why the attack happened is equally important. We don't have to agree with the rationale. Very few agree with the anti-government revenge fantasy of Timothy McVeigh or the religious hatred of bin Laden. But we need to sense that there's a rhyme to the madness. Again, it helps us put the attacks in perspective so we're not fearing what lies around every corner.
In terms of how, my guess right now is that it was a very small group. That's because of two things: First, this was not a sophisticated attack. It was two bombs using do-it-at-home type technology, dropped amongst crowds in public. Second, the lack of prior intelligence. The larger the group, the greater the chance of detection, either through electronic communication intercept or human infiltration. This could well have been a single, troubled individual or a one-person cell of a foreign organization.