The results of the Spanish election have shown a major downfall for the ruling Popular Party and a major win for the Socialist Party in Spain.
This sends exactly the wrong message to the terrorists who murdered 200 Spaniards on Thursday. The attacks were specifically timed to influence the Spanish election and weaken the resolve to bring democracy to Iraq. It sadly appears that the terrorists plans have produced exactly the result they were designed to create. The Spanish people have decided to surrender to the demands of terrorists rather than stand and fight for freedom and democracy worldwide. It is a deeply disappointing decision, and it ensures that the 200 Spaniards who died in this attack will have died in vain.
This move will do nothing to make Spain safer from terrorism. The things that al-Qaeda wants to destroy are the fundamental values of Western culture – individual liberty, religious freedom, and political choice. They want nothing less than a worldwide caliphate under shari’a – the Taliban’s Afghanistan writ on the global scale. Al-Qaeda will target any state that stands in their way – and Spain’s support of the liberation of Afghanistan was just as much a justification for attack as was their support of Iraq.
The world has a simple choice – either stand against terrorism wherever it may be, or surrender to the demands of terrorism in the name of a false sense of security. Chamberlain’s concessions to Hitler brought no security, and may have emboldened Hitler to attack earlier than he had planned. If the new Socialist government in Spain makes the same mistake the costs will be far greater the 200 dead in Madrid.
Powerline has some more observations on the Spanish elections and terrorism. I fear that Hindrocket may be right – there is a strong chance that al-Qaeda will attempt to use terrorism to manipulate our elections as well.
I think it is your analysis that is far too simple on this issue. Aznar ignored the clear mandate of his people, 90% opposed going into the Iraq War. Spain’s unemployment rate is worse than France’s or Germany’s, yet Aznar used the Iraq War and the non-starter issue of regaining Gibraltar as diversions to ignore Spain’s problems. Aznar also refused to pass a resolution condemning atrocities committed by facists during the Franco era. This is not surprise, considering that his party still has senior members who were in Franco’s government and involved in murder of innocent people. Aznar’s party on the regional level was openly hostile policy-wise to minority language groups in Asturia, Galicia, and amongst Navarra’s Basques. The Popular Party has never been popular in the Basque Country, Navarra, and Catalunya (and the three are responsible for much of Spain’s wealth and industry). I hope the Popular Party uses this as a wake up call to purge from Francoites from its ranks and to build up a more pluralist image which doesn’t shove a pan-Castillian nationalism down the throats of the 20% of Spain’s people who do not consider themselves to be part of a Castillian nation. I believe the Spanish nation has liberated itself from a party that didn’t want to be accountable to a fifth of its population and didn’t address bread and butter issues.
You are too simplist. There were much more factors involved in the election, like the fact that Aznar’s government lied to the population telling that the bombs were placed in the train by basque terrorists. Would you still vote for Bush if you knew that the 9/11 attacks were done by american terrorists instead of Al-Qaeda?
Not only is this assumption too simplist regarding the fact that Aznar´s government blamed the Basque terrorists for the bombings, but in addition, other factors leading up to the elections resulted in a decline of the people´s support for the PP even before the bombing occured. The declining popularity of the PP is associated with several factors including the way they irresponsibly handled one of the largest oil spills in Europe on the Galician cost, their un-environmentally friendly proposition for re-routing drinking water, and the push for a more centralized government that would give less power and recognition to the regions of Spain including the Basque and Catalunian areas. Do your research accross seas before assuming what the press tells you in the states is true!!!