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the wake of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon,
I've created a multiple-choice quiz to test your ability to deal
with terrorism. Since I've lived in Jerusalem for the past 15 years,
many of the examples are from Israeli life. I think, though, that
they provide food for thought for other nations as well.
Multiple-Choice Quiz
1.
Racial profiling
You are walking down a street in Israel on
a warm summer's day, when you see a man wearing a heavy coat. His
mid-section is bulging, and he looks like an Arab. You wonder if
the man has explosives strapped to his chest. What do you do?
a. Nothing. You don't believe in racial profiling.
b. Run like the wind, and call the cops the moment you catch your
breath.
The correct answer is b. If you answered a, you will be named humanitarian
of the year, but the prize will be awarded posthumously. (This question
is based on a real incident that occurred this year in Israel. In
that case several racists did their own profiling and decided to
call the cops. Unfortunately, the police didn't arrive in time to
prevent the man from blowing himself up, taking about five civilians
with him.)
2.
Personal freedom
You are checking in for a flight at Ben Gurion
airport. A security official asks you a series of questions: Who
packed your luggage?, has it been in your possession since you packed
it?, etc. After answering the questions, you are asked to open your
suitcase and take out virtually every item in it. What do you do?
a. Refuse and make a scene. How dare they
do this to you?
b. Grit your teeth and submit.
The correct answer is b. It is in your interest that terrorists
be caught. As Jonah Goldberg has pointed out, freedom and convenience
are not the same thing. In Israel, every time you enter a mall or
supermarket your bag is checked, often with a metal detector. Is
this annoying and inconvenient? Yes. Is it a violation of my civil
liberties? I don't think so. A year into Yasser Arafat's war, with
Israelis getting shot or blown up practically every day, my objectives
have become fairly limited: Returning home in one piece every day
is my main goal, and I am willing to put up with a little inconvenience
— and even some loss of personal freedom — if it helps
me reach that goal. I hope the U.S. never gets to this point, but
I think that some additional security measures are needed. You should
welcome them.
3.
Targeted killings, a.k.a. pre-emptive assassinations
You are an intelligence service. You have
concrete information that a known terrorist is planning attacks
on your citizens. Alternatively, you know that a terrorist has been
responsible for slaughtering your citizens in the past, and have
reason to believe that he will strike again. What do you do?
a. Nothing. Killing the man without due process is immoral and possibly
illegal. If you stoop to the level of the terrorists, they have
won.
b. Ask Yasser Arafat to arrest him.
c. Liquidate the terrorist ASAP.
The correct answer is c. This is war. You will save countless lives
by killing him, and letting him live is immoral. If you answered
a, the "human-rights" organizations will award you a medal,
but you may be responsible for the deaths of innocent people. If
you answered b, you will be placed in the nearest psychiatric ward
and treated for delusional fantasies. (You may meet a number of
Israeli political figures there, along with Colin Powell. Reuters
reports that as recently as September 18, the State Department announced
that "the United States has not dropped its opposition to 'targeted
killings' of Palestinians by Israel despite a review of Washington's
own policy on the issue.")
4.
Retaliation
The U.S. needs to bomb those responsible
for the recent attacks back to the Stone Age…
a. To prevent them from striking again.
b. To avenge the murders.
c. To punish the perpetrators.
d. All of the above.
The correct answer is d. While the main objective is to make sure
the terrorists don't strike again, vengeance and punishment have
gotten a bum rap. They shouldn't be the only reasons to go to war,
but they are excellent secondary reasons.
5.
Motive
Why do terrorists commit such acts?
a. Because they are poor and have no hope.
The answer is to stamp out poverty in the world.
b. Because they are Muslim fundamentalists who hate the United States
and/or Israel.
The correct answer is b. Bin Laden is a millionaire, and according
to an Israeli expert on terrorism who studied Muslim suicide bombers,
they come from all different socioeconomic strata.
6.
Restraint
How does the Colin Powell Dictionary of
the English Language define "restraint"?
a. What Israel should exercise when its citizens are slaughtered
in terrorist attacks.
b. What the U.S. should not exercise when its citizens are slaughtered
in terrorist attacks.
c. Both of the above.
The correct answer is c. At a press conference shortly after the
September 11 attacks, Powell was asked a question that went something
like this: You've been urging others [i.e., Israel] to exercise
restraint. What do you think about restraint in the context of these
latest attacks? Oddly enough, Powell didn't think restraint was
appropriate for the U.S. That did not stop him, however, from recommending
in the same press conference that Shimon Peres meet as soon as possible
with Yasser Arafat.
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