Word: attackable
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...have no doubt that bin Laden can and will mount a terrorist operation, anything from bombing the London tube to an attack on New York's subway. Thanks to the Internet, a suicide bomber under bin Laden's sway can buy all the chemicals he needs from his local pharmacy to fabricate a bomb. He also can find the religious guidance, as specious as it might be, to justify...
...Laden should know by now that if he does manage a terrorist attack, the only thing he should count on is a hardening of America and its allies' positions. Especially in Europe: An attack there, such as the foiled plot in Germany, would sweep away European unhappiness about secret prisons and Guantanamo, once again lining Europe behind the U.S. in its war against al-Qaeda...
...dramatic terms often used to communicate uncovered plots to a frenzied media notwithstanding, both officials also say the volume of materials stockpiled and explosive power they pack shouldn't be used as a yardstick of how determined or bloodthirsty the attackers were: the murderous ambition behind them is usually the same. If the quantities and blasting capacities of materials collected in the German plot were far larger than the London bombers relied on, that's because the attack modes and venues were different. "Success is paramount for terrorists, so you're not going to risk getting caught by collecting large...
...importance placed on an attack succeeding, meanwhile, means that jihadist plots - whether prepared autonomously, or inspired and shaped from places like Pakistan - will almost always be attempted in countries and against targets where success has been judged greater, and by operatives best placed to pull them off: locals. The immediate political calculations often ascribed to such schemes - the German plot seeking to strike U.S. installations for its involvement in Iraq, and to also force Berlin to pull its troops from Afghanistan, for example - are actually usually secondary concerns...
...Iraq, meaning our alert level will be particularly high. But it's been high for years anyway, because France - like the U.S., U.K., Germany, and most others - is a prime target not for what we do, but what we represent. None of this is new, and unfortunately each new attack or attempt is only the most recent in a long series. Which is exactly why we need to learn as much as possible what each plot tells us about the wider threat, because I'm afraid it's one we'll be facing for decades...