Israeli Security vs. Politically Correct Western Security
Israeli security at their airport is extensive and layered. They screen for weapons, as a routing measure, but the most important part is the human screening.
They do it with people walkng the lines and having conversations with people, and they do it with people watching the crowds through cameras.
The human screeners are highly trained to read people for lies and discomfort. They will engage you in conversation about the weather and proceed to ask you about politics, the news and maybe more serious topics. The issue is they will also capture anyone with an anti authoritarian streak who gets their back up over this, as happened to an acquaintence of mine, white of irish lineage. It isnt just arabs or "muslims" they target or speak to....since israeli's know their enemies and their sympathizers come in all shapes sizes and colours.
Banning all muslims is silly, but pretending that the heart of the problem isnt within that community is equally silly.
Western military tradition has succeeded through technology, thats the histroy. We shouldnt abandon these paths. But we shouldnt be so enamoured with that we abandon other tactics, like the human side or the bigger picture. Use technology, like IT to better screen who doesnt belong, use technology to help analyze human intelligence or better train screeners etc. At the end of the day, we will lose this war if we lose our will to fight....thats a societal level thing.
Right now, I want some of these other loose ends cleared, maybe they are maybe they arent the confidene level isnt high. Was there soemone filming th eflight, was there a second man arrested on that flight, was there a "sherpa" in amsterdam, did the guy board without a passport, was the mule drugged?
They at least have confirmed that the material was big enough to have brought the airliner down.
Posted by: Stephen at December 29, 2009 7:43 AM
As Stephen's comments show, the Israelis take an approach to security measures that should be considered seriously by North American governments. On the other hand, one of the reasons for the effectiveness of those measures is that most Israelis (and certainly those tasked with security) do understand that they are engaged in a war against terror, do understand that there are large numbers of people who wish to destroy them, and are personally invested in the preservation of their own state and people. As I endure the ordeal of airline travel in this country and the USA, there doesn't seem to be the same awareness and commitment on the part of those whose main task is to protect the public.