Today, the nation of Norway fell victim to two terrorist attacks which have thus far claimed the lives of eighty Norwegian citizens and hospitalized dozens more. The first attack was a bombing on a government building in Oslo--which damaged the Prime Minister's office, though he was away from his workspace at the time--and the second took the form of a lone gunman opening fire on a youth camp organized by the ruling Labour Party. Though separate in time and space, authorities believe the two attacks to be connected; while no organization has publicly claimed responsibility for the attacks, police believe that there is a definite link between the two attacks. This belief is supported by timing, target, and the fact that Anders Breivik, a thirty-two year old Norwegian man presently being held in custody, matched descriptions of a man seen outside the Oslo building just prior to the explosion there. The man--from what early reports have been able to confirm--acquired the clothing of a policeman, established a fake checkpoint, then opened fire on the assembled crowd with an automatic weapon in an act that killed dozens at the camp. This attack was unexpected, cowardly, and--at least in this writer's opinion--a failure.
In a mood that appears to reflect the one felt in the United States following the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, Norway has been left reeling in a combination of sorrow and confusion in the wake of these attacks. The terrorist attacks are like nothing known to the country in recent years; the last time Norway suffered an attack of such a numerical scale on its own soil came during World War II. This confusion is compounded by the fact that no known terrorist organization has yet taken credit for the two attacks. Though police were able to capture and detain Breivik, who opened fire on Utoya Island--site of the Labour-run youth camp--this afternoon, they have not yet been able to confirm his involvement in the Oslo bombing, if he was working alone or with a group, or what the motive might have been for his attack.
Out of all the questions surrounding the attacks today, the question of motive might very well be the most important unanswered one. After all, identifying the specific complaint may lead authorities to a group capable of and intent on carrying out attacks like those seen today. Given the targets chosen--buildings housing the office of the Prime Minister and a camp run by his party--there appears to be a political motive, likely stemming from a series of governmental decisions with which the unnamed Norwegian assailant disagreed, but at this point such a motive can only be classified as informed speculation. Reuters is reporting that, based on the targets of the attacks and statements made by Breivik, the man may be part of a "right-wing" militant group, but this has yet to be confirmed. Norwegian authorities know the "what" and "where" at this point, but the extent of the "who" and the truth of the "why" seem to presently remain unknown.
In times such as these, citizens tend to look towards the leader of their nation for words of guidance and comfort. Today, such words came from Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store, who told the Norwegian media that although "today, free government was attacked, freedom of association was attacked, the spirit of youth was attacked...we will kick back and say that these are values that are dear to us, and we intend to defend them and Norway will be recognizable tomorrow as the Norway our friends and partners around the world have known so far." The quote was part of a longer speech, but this excerpt stood out to me, in part because of it's resemblance to another head of state's response to an act of terrorism on his soil: "Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature, and we responded with the best of America, with the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and neighbors who came to give blood and help in any way they could." President George W. Bush's address to the American people the night of Sept. 11, 2001 contained a beacon of hope to the American people, and his speech the following day--which, arguably, was likely the best speech he delivered while in office--served not just to let us know what had happened but to remind us that we were stronger than any radical fringe group, that our national resolve would not be weakened through the loss of buildings and lives. Mr. Store's statement mirrors this message, and his words served to offer comfort and hope to a nation still trying to make sense of a horrific and senseless attack.
There is a terrific episode of Aaron Sorkin's The West Wing--a show which I imagine will be referenced from time to time on this page--called Isaac and Ishmael, in which the White House is put into "crash mode" when a staffer appears on a terrorist watch list. This action traps everyone in the building inside, including a group of teenagers from the Presidential Classroom program. The students are entertained by various members of the staff, but perhaps the most powerful moment comes from a scene where White House Deputy Speechwriter Sam Seaborn is asked what strikes him most about terrorism. After thinking for a moment, Seaborn replies "its 100% failure rate." He goes on to explain that "not only do terrorists always fail at what they're after, they pretty much always succeed in strengthening whatever it is they're against," noting that terrorists tend to succeed in killing people but fail to kill ideas and beliefs.
That, perhaps, is the one ray of hope we can take away from the tragic events of today. The goal of these attacks was not to blow up a building in Oslo, or to kill dozens at a youth camp. These actions were a means of achieving a larger goal: the destruction of the ideas rooted deep at the heart of the Labour Party and the Norwegian government as a collective. Today, the terrorists were successful in their means, but were complete failures in achieving their goal. The Norwegian Labour Party is still standing; the Prime Minister lived to issue a condemnation of these attacks, and the people of Norway--rather than collapsing under the fear they must be experiencing--have come together in a showing of national unity to prove to the world that they stand together against such senseless violence.
In his address following the attacks, Prime Minister Stoltenberg announced to the terrorists that "you won't destroy us. You won't destroy our democracy. We are a small but proud nation. No one can bomb us to silence. No one can scare us from being Norway. This evening and tonight, we'll take care of each other. That's what we do best when attacked." Today's attacks took the lives of dozens of Norwegian citizens in a deplorable display of violence and bloodshed. Yet the values that the Norwegian people stand for--the ideals of strength, pride, and national unity--have not been defeated but rather strengthened, through the resolve of a nation that refuses to surrender in the darkest of times.
And in doing so, Norway has ensured that terrorism's failure rate remains at 100 percent.
Edited To Include The Name of Anders Breivik
In a mood that appears to reflect the one felt in the United States following the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, Norway has been left reeling in a combination of sorrow and confusion in the wake of these attacks. The terrorist attacks are like nothing known to the country in recent years; the last time Norway suffered an attack of such a numerical scale on its own soil came during World War II. This confusion is compounded by the fact that no known terrorist organization has yet taken credit for the two attacks. Though police were able to capture and detain Breivik, who opened fire on Utoya Island--site of the Labour-run youth camp--this afternoon, they have not yet been able to confirm his involvement in the Oslo bombing, if he was working alone or with a group, or what the motive might have been for his attack.
Out of all the questions surrounding the attacks today, the question of motive might very well be the most important unanswered one. After all, identifying the specific complaint may lead authorities to a group capable of and intent on carrying out attacks like those seen today. Given the targets chosen--buildings housing the office of the Prime Minister and a camp run by his party--there appears to be a political motive, likely stemming from a series of governmental decisions with which the unnamed Norwegian assailant disagreed, but at this point such a motive can only be classified as informed speculation. Reuters is reporting that, based on the targets of the attacks and statements made by Breivik, the man may be part of a "right-wing" militant group, but this has yet to be confirmed. Norwegian authorities know the "what" and "where" at this point, but the extent of the "who" and the truth of the "why" seem to presently remain unknown.
In times such as these, citizens tend to look towards the leader of their nation for words of guidance and comfort. Today, such words came from Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store, who told the Norwegian media that although "today, free government was attacked, freedom of association was attacked, the spirit of youth was attacked...we will kick back and say that these are values that are dear to us, and we intend to defend them and Norway will be recognizable tomorrow as the Norway our friends and partners around the world have known so far." The quote was part of a longer speech, but this excerpt stood out to me, in part because of it's resemblance to another head of state's response to an act of terrorism on his soil: "Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature, and we responded with the best of America, with the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and neighbors who came to give blood and help in any way they could." President George W. Bush's address to the American people the night of Sept. 11, 2001 contained a beacon of hope to the American people, and his speech the following day--which, arguably, was likely the best speech he delivered while in office--served not just to let us know what had happened but to remind us that we were stronger than any radical fringe group, that our national resolve would not be weakened through the loss of buildings and lives. Mr. Store's statement mirrors this message, and his words served to offer comfort and hope to a nation still trying to make sense of a horrific and senseless attack.
There is a terrific episode of Aaron Sorkin's The West Wing--a show which I imagine will be referenced from time to time on this page--called Isaac and Ishmael, in which the White House is put into "crash mode" when a staffer appears on a terrorist watch list. This action traps everyone in the building inside, including a group of teenagers from the Presidential Classroom program. The students are entertained by various members of the staff, but perhaps the most powerful moment comes from a scene where White House Deputy Speechwriter Sam Seaborn is asked what strikes him most about terrorism. After thinking for a moment, Seaborn replies "its 100% failure rate." He goes on to explain that "not only do terrorists always fail at what they're after, they pretty much always succeed in strengthening whatever it is they're against," noting that terrorists tend to succeed in killing people but fail to kill ideas and beliefs.
That, perhaps, is the one ray of hope we can take away from the tragic events of today. The goal of these attacks was not to blow up a building in Oslo, or to kill dozens at a youth camp. These actions were a means of achieving a larger goal: the destruction of the ideas rooted deep at the heart of the Labour Party and the Norwegian government as a collective. Today, the terrorists were successful in their means, but were complete failures in achieving their goal. The Norwegian Labour Party is still standing; the Prime Minister lived to issue a condemnation of these attacks, and the people of Norway--rather than collapsing under the fear they must be experiencing--have come together in a showing of national unity to prove to the world that they stand together against such senseless violence.
In his address following the attacks, Prime Minister Stoltenberg announced to the terrorists that "you won't destroy us. You won't destroy our democracy. We are a small but proud nation. No one can bomb us to silence. No one can scare us from being Norway. This evening and tonight, we'll take care of each other. That's what we do best when attacked." Today's attacks took the lives of dozens of Norwegian citizens in a deplorable display of violence and bloodshed. Yet the values that the Norwegian people stand for--the ideals of strength, pride, and national unity--have not been defeated but rather strengthened, through the resolve of a nation that refuses to surrender in the darkest of times.
And in doing so, Norway has ensured that terrorism's failure rate remains at 100 percent.
Edited To Include The Name of Anders Breivik
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