Who Inspired Anders Breivik?

In the wake of the horrific Oslo bombing and subsequent mass murder at a Norwegian Labor party youth camp, the ideological motivation of Anders Behring Breivik has come under some very close scrutiny, and a debate is in progress about how much the anti-Muslim bloggers who supposedly inspired the killer have to take responsibility. Robert … Continue reading “Who Inspired Anders Breivik?”

Terrorism Experts on Parade

On Friday night and Saturday morning I scanned the newspapers and watched the usual after-the-fact nonsense on television in the wake of the horrific terror attack in Norway. The late edition of Friday’s Wall Street Journal featured a lead editorial blaming “jihadis” for the slaughter, an attack that was, per the editorial writer, launched because … Continue reading “Terrorism Experts on Parade”

The Return of the Neocons’ Prodigal Son

Suggestions that the “counter-jihadist” ideology spread by such websites as Frontpagemag.com, run by neocon David Horowitz, and the affiliated “Jihad Watch,” inspired – and provoked – the Norway killer Anders Behring Breivik have been met with cries of outrage by the neoconservative Right. This is hardly surprising: confronted with the sight of someone who put … Continue reading “The Return of the Neocons’ Prodigal Son”

The West Has a Double Standard in Terrorism Cases

The mass slaughter of innocents by Anders Behring Breivik in Norway has highlighted the selective perception of such heinous acts of terrorism by U.S. and Western media. Although those who study terrorism cannot seem to reach a standard definition of terrorism — perhaps because past actions of their own governments might be so classified (for … Continue reading “The West Has a Double Standard in Terrorism Cases”

Illusions of Security and Danger

In response to the attacks in Norway, everyone immediately began pointing fingers. President Obama and the establishment instantly blamed Islamists, at least implicitly. Now that the alleged killer is profiled as a radical anti-Islamist, the center left is blaming right-wing “extremism” and agitating for an institutional response to such dangerous lines of thinking. Beyond the … Continue reading “Illusions of Security and Danger”