EU anti-terror summit

The atrocity in Madrid signals the need for the community of nations to go back to the drawing board to determine what works in the war on terror and what does not. The first thing to note is that the invasion of Iraq in no way advanced the cause of the global war against terrorism. The war did nothing to weaken al Qaeda -- it appears to have given it time to regroup, get back on its feet, and reapply itself to its deadly mission.

In addition, the contempt for world opinion shown by the US-led alliance and its apparent indifference to international law and the loss of innocent Iraqi lives were a propaganda coup for the terrorist cause. It is counterproductive to attack terror by fomenting terror of one's own.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

Let us call a spade a spade. The main problem with the world's response to the threat of global terror has been that it has largely been dictated by the Bush administration. But it is not the latter alone that has suffered as a consequence.

The decision of the EU to convene in this manner signals that they have understood the limitations of the ongoing anti-terrorist approach. The summit's focus on a coordinated and cooperative approach, inclusive of a UN role, to addressing the terrorist threat appears to be a step in the right direction. After Madrid, who can blame them? It is Europe that has paid the price for Bush's misadventure.