Word: terrorists
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Security procedures were so lax that the terrorist van was already far past local Phalangist militiamen before they realized something was wrong and started to shoot. Only the chance presence of the British ambassador and his bodyguards, who shot the driver before he could enter the building's garage, saved the embassy from total destruction...
...administration, eager to cover itself as the Presidential election draws near, has tried to explain away the terrorist success, shrugging its shoulders and blaming the Carter administration, even comparing the delays in security construction to problems people have when they redo their kitchens. Only infilitration of terrorist sects can stop their attacks, Reagan said, and suggested two days ago that the real fault lies with "the near destruction of our intelligence capability" in the years before his administration...
Without concrete proof of guilt, both world opinion and Americans' own moral sense would make overt military action. Yet increasing support to their enemies (such as Iraq, which is bogged down in war with Iran) would finally make Iran and Syria understand the costs of sponsoring or aiding terrorist attacks. Certainly, such action needs to be weighed against our other geopolitical interests in the area. But doing nothing would only show weakness and invite more attacks against Americans...
Another step the U.S. could take to show true concern about stopping terrorism would be to limit its own terrorist acts in Central America. The CIA's unsecret secret war against the Nicaraguan regime, a war that has led us to mine Nicaraguan harbors, sponsor cross-border contra raids, and wink at Americans illegally selling their services as mercenaries against the Sandinistas, has made a mockery of our efforts to get other nations to support our efforts for international coordination against terrorism...
...attack on our embassy makes abundantly clear, we sorely need an effective and consistent approach to combatting terrorism, from the nitty-gritty of improving diplomatic security all the way to punishing those responsible for terrorism and even restraining ourselves from engaging in terrorist attacks. Such a policy may seem difficult, costly, and at times apparently against our short-term interest. But in a world of proliferating destructive technology, where fanatics seem ever ready to sacrifice their lives for some obscure cause, we may have no choice...