An unsuccessful train bombing in Germany reveals a changing public mood on domestic security.
by Paul Kieffer
In the year prior to the U.S.-led military invasion of Iraq, the tone of the exchanges between the U.S. administration and Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein sharpened noticeably. U.S. President George W. Bush stated clearly that "all options are on the table" for enforcing any alleged arms violations by Iraq. Many observers in Europe and elsewhere surmised correctly that it would only be a matter of time before the military option would be exercised.
With the Iraq crisis looming ever larger on the horizon, Germans wondered whether their country would be asked to provide troops for any military action against Iraq. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder gave a clear answer and preempted any such request with his unequivocal stance of "no blood for oil" during his bid for reelection in the summer of 2002.
While former Chancellor Schroeder's unusually direct challenge to President Bush did nothing to promote better German-American relations, the thinking seemed to prevail among many Germans that their chancellor's clear refusal to support the U.S. position would give Islamic extremists no reason to target their country.
The Islamic terrorist bombing of Madrid commuter trains on March 11, 2004, killing 191 people and wounding hundreds, seemed to prove the point. Spain was part of America's "coalition of the willing" in Iraq, and the attacks contributed to the defeat of José Mar'a Aznar's government in national elections held only three days later.
Terrorists like 9/11 pilot Mohammed Atta were known to have lived in Germany, but in the five years since the World Trade Center attack, the country had been spared any violent terrorist activity. But recent events have awakened Germans to the fact that their cities are also potential targets for Islamic terrorists.
