Another kind of Spanish bomb

[misscam]

Sunday's election sprung another kind of bomb in Spain - the ruling PP party have lost the election. Before the Madrid bombing, it was expected to score a clear win. Instead, it's now the Socialist Party who will rule. And they opposed the Iraqi war (as did 90% of Spaniards at the time).

Analysis of the election.
The US urging Spain to stay in Iraq which was answered with Spain's Prime minister-elect confirming intensions to pull out of Iraq (and slamming the war at the same time).

It's also interesting that the voter turnout was much larger than expected - 77% compared to 68% the last time. Could this attack in fact strengthen European resolve to protect our democracies? Will this make Europe drift further away from the US?

I wonder...

Norway's to hold three minutes of silence at 12 CET in memory of the dead in Spain. The rest of Europe will have similar shows of solidarity and grief for Spain's fallen.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Parts of this world are so screwed up, it's terrifying to think about. It was terrfying back at my home university (which I think is about 2-3 hours from NYC by car or bus, and there are enough people with relations in NYC going to that school) the day after September 11 when one girl in my history class went home to New York because someone called and told her they'd found her friend's burned body in the rubble of the WTC, then the history professor said that of course we're going to go into Afghanistan, and then in 2003 we'd go into Iraq (which shocked me)... then one of my other classmates raised his hand and said, "Yeah, I'll be going to Iraq next spring." He didn't look much older than me, and I was only a teenager. Now it's terrifying here in Ireland where there are a lot of students from Spain also studying here, plus I think an old friend from high school I sort of lost contact with is studying in Madrid this semester... the shockwaves of these tragedies have been hard for me to feel because I'm not *right* there and have other things to focus on, but it's still really unnerving that these acts of violence can happen even this close to me. (My hometown is such a bubble town with a feeling of "It could never happen here.")

I'm scared of the thought of Europe and USA growing too far apart, honestly... I've always hated the idea of the USA being too far from the rest of the universe. And the world doesn't seem so bad when you've got friends supporting you, but you have to be a good friend in return to deserve that feeling... I personally hate what's going on with my country and I'm very angry with the government at present (as are a lot of the other American students I've met abroad), but there's still something depressing about seeing grafitti on walls saying "USA GO TO HELL." But at least most of the people here I've met at least seem to distinguish between a government and "its" people. It's too bad not everyone in the world (including in the USA a lot of times) bothers to.

Well, I can only wish the best for Spain and Europe and hope any possible further attacks get thwarted. And I hope the US protects its *own* democracy as well.

Wow, that was a lot of rambling. ^_^;

-plasticgastropod@hotmail.com

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Norway is one big bubble of 'it could never happen here', so I know how you feel. I was in Australia when the Bali bombing happened and it was very surreal. But on the other hand, I felt myself observing it at a slight distance. I could see the tragedy and horror of it all, but it felt almost as if it was not affecting me at all, as if I was observing something happening in another world than mine. I have come to realise that because I grew up in Norway, I carry the bubble of Norway with me and such acts of violence just feels out of place. They don't belong in the world that was constructed through my childhood and teenage years.

I think the America-Europe rift has been coming for a long time. September 11th and the aftermath of it has just hurried up something that was bound to come about sooner or later. The US and Europe are simly heading in different directions. Europe is growing increasingly secular, for instance.

And there was slight feeling in Europe that September 11th had been... How shall I put this? Not deserved, because no one deserves to lose innocent people, but that it had been coming for a long time due to US arrogance in its foreign policy. That didn't stop Europe from genuinly grieving for America's loss(well, most of us, I should say. There's always exception). Unfortunately, what came after has kindled anti-American sentiment that probably has been brewing a long time. There was a polling done in several countries recently, and it shows favour for the US has *plummeted*. And some may be good at seperating the people from the government, but not all. And I am sorry for that.

And I hope Europe will not follow the US path, even if that means the rift will grow stronger. I just think Europe cannot afford it. Enough mistakes has been made in this part of the world already and they have all come with too horrid a price to contemplate paying again.

[(Anonymous)]

I was actually just chatting (or maybe I should say ranting ^_^;)over lunch with an American acquaintance and her friend from Spain about how we were surprised at how surprised the USA was over Sept 11, actually... (Well, we were as surprised as anyone the day it happened, but weren't completely oblivious to the fact before and after that it was quite possible and that people very much wanted to do such a thing to us.) Then she mentioned how her friend said he doesn't care who wins the next US election because his life goes on no matter what. I think that's one of America's big root problems at the moment... apathy until something happens to you. (And then of course because it happens to you, it's the worst thing in the world and you must have your revenge. I'm immediately reminded of my high school history class discussing Hiroshima when I think of that... will spare you from that here. ^_^;)

Funny thing yesterday - they had an anti-war protest as part of the St. Patrick's Day parade downtown and had this thing where a sort of mask of Bush's head was attached to the body of a snake held up by poles children were carrying with a bunch of messages about serpents and how evil the war was... let's just say that I was amused by the fact that they had it, but disturbed by the way it was children who were carrying it. Everyone not getting carried away by the atmosphere wondered if they understood what the message they were carrying meant. (I learned how brainwashing works in psychology class last year and how that can get a person fiercly loyal to one group to end up fiercly loyal to that group's opponents, and now when I see children getting pulled up in political displays of any sort it freaks me out.)

America has and comes from a lot of European history itself (I can even name one of the ships both Bushes had an ancestor come from England on... though I think I'd hate to admit which -_-;), and it sort of feels like America's now the rebellious teenager saying to the more experienced elder, "You're old and useless now, what do you know, I'll do things for myself!" because it can't (or refuses to) grasp the meaning behind what the elder has experienced and won't until it experiences life and pain for itself and doesn't appreciate the shelter and privileges it has that its elder didn't always have. I don't like that analogy because it seems to say that America "has" to do stupid things before it learns whatever, but that's what it feels like.

I hope Europe won't follow the costly US path either. When prices are too high and everyone just pays them, prices are likely to stay high until people get so poor they can't even think about buying anything they even need. Or so an old man who complained about the price of the clock part I sold him when I was a craft store cashier told me. ^_^;

Alright, it's probably time to leave you alone now. ^_^;

-plasticgastropod@hotmail.com

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Alas, the lessons that stick are usually the ones you pay the heaviest price for. Europe could probably tell the US a few things about the dangers of agressive warfare, but what you're told goes in one ear and out the other. Hell, it took Europe quite a few lessons to learn that danger. And Europe *still* has issues. Apathy is not just an American problem.

So I guess the US will learn what it learns and hopefully, the learning curve will not be quite as steep as Europe was. Fingers crossed.