The Brothers Tsarnaev: Outright Insanity would be Easier to Bear (Wiener
Zeitung, Austria)
"If these
two Chechens are responsible, it would seem that once again, an enemy with a
political agenda has attacked America on its own soil. That would be a major
setback for the security of Americans who, for almost twelve years, have been
slow to recover from 9/11. ... It is possible - assuming the brothers are the culprits - that their actions were the result of insanity. In this case the tragedy would lose some of its potential to terrify - at least in the long term."
If the brothers Tsarnaev are
really behind the attack on the Boston Marathon, they will be terrorists in the
literal sense: they would have frightened and intimidated the population with a
campaign of violence and (politically) destabilized the country.
The initial assumption that an American psychopath may have
been behind the attack was unorthodox, but easier to digest. There is something
reassuring in pinning tragedy on a lunatic outlier, as it wouldn't spread
such sustained fear.
But if these two Chechens are responsible, it would seem
that once again, an enemy with a political agenda has attacked America on its
own soil. That would be a major setback for the security of Americans who, for
almost twelve years, have been slow to recover from 9/11.
On top of that, with DzhokharTsarnaev, the entire
case takes on an Islamist touch. Upon examining his records on the Internet,
one quickly realizes that two things are nearest and dearest to his heart:
Chechnya and Islam. This could once again inflame fear of Islamic terrorism in
the U.S. It is possible that Tsarnaev was a follower
of the self-proclaimed Caucasus
Emirate, which has been put on America's terrorist watch list. Nevertheless it is
also possible - assuming the brothers are the culprits - that their actions
were the result of insanity. In this case the tragedy would lose some of its
potential to terrify - at least in the long term.
