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April 2011
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25 Years Later: La Bella

I just want to point out, in light of the current Libyan events, that today is the 25th anniversary of the La Bella discotheque bombing here in Berlin. Two US soldiers and 1 Turkish woman were killed, along with scores injured.

Looking back, one of the truly remarkable things about American governments, whether led by Democrats or Republicans, is how few foreign terrorists have managed to actually attack the United States on its own soils.

I’m sure I’m overlooking something obvious, but I can only really think of the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and the 9/11 attacks in 2001. There have been some other attempts (namely Richard Reid on American Airlines and the Amsterdam to Detroit Delta flight), but beyond these attempts, there haven’t been that many successful foreign attacks.

The site of the discotheque is not far from where I live, and last weekend I popped over to read the memorial sign on the building and to reflect – it is amazing to live here, in Berlin, where history vividly took place.

We still have not finished living out the consequences of the Bella discotheque bombing – Gaddafi is still (at least for now) in control, and the choices made by President Reagan in how to respond to the bombing had some pretty awful consequences for US citizens.

Perhaps the United States, and in particular Republicans, should spend more time thinking about the consequences and unintended consequences of their policy choices.

1 comment to 25 Years Later: La Bella

  • Given current events, you could well replace “Republicans” with “the current administration” in your last sentence. This time we didn’t even wait for Americans to be killed before sending in the warplanes…