Soft target struck

The catastrophic bombing of Indian commercial capital Bombay exemplifies the audacity of Al Qaida. It remains a global threat. According to my understanding of world affairs, the Third World War began in 2001 or much earlier in 1993, when the first Islamists attacked US helicopters in Somalia, according to Wikipedia chronicles.

Qaida leadership chose India a soft target, poorly managed and with no complex security apparatus of US or UK. India is a growing trade partner of the West. However, its security is completely based on obsolete Russian equipment. India's security ties with Russia hampers transfer of sensitive technology from the West to India. The Western security officials feel high tech dual use technology can be passed to Russians who are increasingly assertive in places like Georgia, a NATO partner.

The attack on India has many analysts guessing the motive. Just few days ago there were reports that an Indian navy vessel was active in the Arabian sea against piracy from the Somali coast. The pirates reportedly hijacked Sirius Star, according to exclusive report carried on Der Spiegel, Saudi tanker carrying crude oil worth $100 million. Additionally, NPR report aired on KCRW 89.9 Los Angeles and other TV reports spoke of another Ship hijacked carrying Russian arms (main battle tanks and other arms). Indian leaders may have decided to launch an operation in which they could boost its service image and recover the Russian arms which is also available in the international black market, according to various books and movies (pls see "Lord of War" -Nicholas Cage, 2005 reference wikipedia.org). However, lack of training budget and professionalism prevents India from mounting something like Israel's Entebbe Raid. And, piracy is rampant not only in Somali coast but in Straits of Malacca, from where the Japanese economy receives all of its oil supply.

The pirates possibly have ties with Al Qaida and its franchises (ref CNN report). The Qaida leadership might have wanted to signal India that its ties with West and Israel (defense ties) should be severed. There is likely to be calls for Indian leadership to severe its close security ties with Israel. The death of a religious worker, a rabbi and his spouse indicates the terrorists are acting "without remorse".

I think the terrorists want to severe and isolate India (see National Geographic issue in which Tory attempts to isolate New England is chronicled in the American Revolutionary War, circa 1775-1783). India's leftists and Maoists are keen to see the withdrawal of multi-national business interest from India. These xenophobic anarchists and extreme nationalists hate West since the Congress party taught this kind of ideology since India's founding in 1948.

Additionally, the mastermind bin Laden might want to foment a fourth major India-Pakistan war. The anarchist ideology is always after mass destruction of human lives. And in India and Pakistan, where religious fervor and superstition is still in its heydey, a war and a nuclear exchange might trigger a massive inflow of refugees to the United States and Europe. Such a calamity would divert resources away from the other fronts of the Global War on Terror.

A penetrating analysis and careful study indicates that India's second capital and financial center has a history of sectarian violence. Hindus and Muslims have been engaged in riots since the 1990s. If one adds Malthus theory and overpopulation, the city is ripe for violence. The existence of criminal networks, extortion married to anti-Western sentiments creates a force which can easily be manipulated by top Qaida planners. They only have to find the would be perpetrators and pay them secretly. The motivation for suicidal attacks can be attributed to family welfare offer and promise to go to heaven to those desperados willing to undertake this kind of sadistic terrorist acts.

Besides, Qaida has wide presence in Internet command and control, subliminal messaging (ref: various sources including www.iacsp.com and its sister journal). The US government also cannot ignore threats to continental US and its citizens abroad. The US should quickly put strong pressure on regimes to stop harboring terrorists and take surgical actions, albeit with economy of force at a time when the burden ofn taxpayers is high to pay for many pork barrel programs (ref, speeches of Sen. John McCain).

Another theory: The Qaida cellular command may have chosen to initiate a nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan. Such a calamity would have resulted in tens of thousands of radiated refugees. Those refugees would have sought to enter United States and Germany, the primary refugee absorbing countries. Swamping American resources and conducting economic warfare and other forms of subversive operations is a major objective of Al Qaida (ref: Bard O'Neill's Insurgency and Terrorism.

I remember a copy of The Intelligence War, a Salamander book, in which an article mentioned that disgruntled individuals are recruited by foreign (particularly Soviet ref: Aldrich Ames and the other plant in Bundeskanzler Willy Brandt's staff in Deutchland ref: Der Spiegel and Newsweek) operatives inside United States and Allied countries. So I request the freedom and liberty to suspect that this individual Robert Sanchez, 46, our Metrolink driver was talking on the cell phone while driving a train? This is heights of negligence. Or could it have been an organized plot by cellular and computer engineers associated with the transnational network engaged in total war with the United States (ref: Histories Mysteries).