Pretexts For Terrorism.

When I referred in my previous post to how I focused too much on the arguments made by the antiwar crowd, one of the claims that I had in mind is the idea that it would cause more terrorism. The recent statement released in the name of Osama Bin Laden shows the problem with that line of reasoning:

Osama bin Laden accused Pope Benedict XVI of helping in a "new Crusade" against Islam and warned of a "severe" reaction to European publications of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that insulted many Muslims.

Bin Laden's new audiotape message raised concerns al-Qaida was plotting new attacks in Europe. Some experts said bin Laden, believed to be in hiding in the rugged Afghan-Pakistan border area, may be unable to organize an attack himself and instead is trying to fan anger and inspire his supporters to violence.

Sure the terrorists might find that an invasion of an Arab country is an excuse to commit terrorism, but if they also regard publishing cartoons or making obscure references to what medieval statesmen thought about Islam is an excuse for mass murder then it suggests that they were hardly going to lead productive and peaceful lives in the absence of an invasion. The Iraq invasion may well provide the pretext for a terrorist attack but it is not the real reason.