Context
After a string of tragic events this week, US is on the alert. Bombings at the Boston marathon race on Monday, letters sent to President Obama and a senator containing traces of ricin, and a huge explosion in Texas on Wednesday, have created a 9/11 type scare.
It’s not clear if these are connected events or designed to convey a message. Moreover, its not apparent yet if the perpetrators were internally motivated or linked to foreign causes. However, the three events have occurred in the same week.
According to Isreali media, three Saudi nationals are suspect in the Boston race attack. On the other hand, it’s too early to state if the explosion near Waco was a pure accident or motivated by sinister design. A suspect has been arrested in Mississippi, related with the infected letters.
As more information becomes available, more can be said about the linkages. But there remains a persistent looming threat linked with the internal causes of dismay.
As US forces return from fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, there is a risk that economic recession may cause a few to go rogue. In combination with the growing risk from extreme right wing elements, a deadly pattern could evolve.
This is similar to a scenario a number of popular American movies have often portrayed in the form of a Rambo factor: a war hero who upon his return finds it hard to adjust. This threat obviously supersedes the risk posed by Islamic extremists. Recent reports by the New America Foundation and Combating Terrorism Center confirm the threat posed by right wing extremist groups has grown dramatically.
Furthermore, media sources in the Middle East have claimed the events may also be related to policy shift President Obama has undertaken, especially in the realm of foreign affairs and defense. According to these reports, such attacks are meant to shift the focus back towards military solutions to the conflicts abroad, particularly if foreign connections are found.
