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Money, Terror, and Freedom

© Carey Goodman

An enduring observation of the realities of the world asserts that: "Money is the root of all evil". In respect of global terrorism, this observation seems quite true.

Another observation frequently cited now is that: "One group's terrorist is another group's freedom fighter". In theory and in the dense fog of mindless adherence to particular ideologies, this assertion is also quite valid. But without access to vast wealth and resources, no paramilitary or partisan faction can survive to persuade future followers to join its cause.

The reality is that the scope of terrorism extends far beyond Al-Qaeda. It affects many Western countries directly, and its activists raise money in the US via individual contacts and Internet sites. For various political reasons and because the US media apparently have rendered themselves capable of reporting only one story at a time, these groups are not well known to American audiences, but their objectives are no less sinister than the obsessions that guide Al-Qaeda.

The Battling Basques

During most of the twentieth century, Spain and its six provinces underwent several significant political transformations. The country was a monarchy until the Spanish Civil War (a conflict generally regarded as the dress rehearsal for the second world war) ended in 1939 with the victory of the fascist dictator Francisco Franco. Franco ruled Spain as a single country, banned the use of all provincial dialects, mandated that only Castiliano be taught and spoken, and repressed political opposition. In 1978 (three years after Franco died) a process began to democratize the country under the leadership of King Juan Carlos. The King regained power in 1981 as a constitutional monarch whose power is closely scrutinized by a freely elected Parliament. In 1986 Spain joined the European Community, and despite poor economic conditions, the Mediteranean country seemed well on its way towards stability and success.

But the provinces soon were restless. Catalonia revived its endemic language. Segovia began restoring various cultural sites. Basques began blowing up Spanish federal facilities and officials.

The leaders of the Basque terrorist group the ETA claim their goal is an independent Basque state. During the last two decades the ETA have waged a relentless and ruthless terror campaign with no substantive results except the deaths of many prominent Spanish officials and innocent civilians. During the last week the ETA detonated a bomb in Madrid during rush hour; (the blast injured more than a hundred people); the next day the ETA claimed responsibility for the death of a Spanish judge. In October 2001 the ETA exploded a bomb in downtown Madrid and instigated riots in other Spanish cities. Reports recently released by Spanish authorities indicate that in December 1999 the ETA planned to destroy the country's largest office complex in a manner very similar to the destruction of the World Trade Center. The plot was foiled before the forty-story mostly glass office building in Madrid was harmed, but it may be of some significance to note that the office building in Madrid and the World Trade Center were designed by the same architect.