Aiport Kabuki Theatre Gets a Little More Interesting

So, what do we know? Apparently, a Nigerian man sews a complex liquid/powder explosive device into his underwear, and airport security reacts with a fresh set of restrictions.

-Only one carry-on bag.
-Nothing in your lap and no moving around in the last hour before landing
-Getting searched again before actually boarding the flight.

Also, apparently, despite the fact that he claims Al-Qaeda ties, he is just one crazy man and the "system works".



I understand that not everyone has had the education I have. If you want to bone up, without listening to Robert Spencer rant about Christendom (no offense, Mr Spencer, but your excellent work does often have a faint tinge of zealotry), try The Combating Terrorism Center. Good stuff in there. But to return to my point, a couple of facts need to be addressed.

If you claim to speak for Al-Qaeda, as long as you hate infidels, you speak for Al-Qaeda.

One of the concepts Al-Qaeda, and the wider jihadi community, has stolen from the White Supremacist movement is the old Lone Wolf terrorist idea. White supremacists realized that concrete organization led to being infiltrated and exposed, so instead they started publishing literature to spread their philosophy. Inherent in the literature were instructions on how to legally acquire weapons training and explosives expertise. Also, the fictional heroes of the movement acted out of their own initiative and fervour. Lionizing individual action led to a concrete strategic advantage: the supremacists could praise the actions of an individual without actually being legally implicated. Timothy McVeigh is a perfect example. The whole point is that self-identification is the only requirement for membership, so long as you adhere to the philosophy.

Al-Qaeda calls it "Leaderless Jihad". Since Jihad is the obligation of all members of the Ummah, according to the Sheiks, any member of the Ummah who engages in Jihad is in effect a member of Al-Qaeda. No need for secret decoder rings, or logistical support. If the attack succeeds, Al-Qaeda issues a statement calling him a brave martyr; if it fails he is merely a lone nut "misinterpreting Islam".

Ergo, lone Nigerian trying to blow himself up claims to speak for Al-Qaeda. The US Government fails to find a paper trail because he never physically contacted Al-Qaeda. This is irrelevant. If he so much as read a pamphlet at Mosque, he was contacted, and de facto a member. All without an irritating paper trail which allows closed-minded law enforcement officials to interfere.


Why I use Ezra Levant's Term

Kabuki theatre, as I understand it, is the celebration of physical buffoonery in otherwise serious society. The point is that it is all show, and no substance. It's fun, and relaxing. Ezra Levant calls the security measures "Airport Kabuki Theatre" because most of the measure are in effect just about show, and getting people to feel safer rather than be safer. There is no substance to it. Also, it's a bit of dry wit, as all travelers can attest that airport security is no fun at all. Admittedly, some of the security features DO make life safer. Bomb sniffers, metal detectors, etc. However, because airport security gets about the same training as your average bank security guard (if they're lucky), rules become arbitrary. Easier to change traveler behaviour than retrain the guards. So grandmothers lose knitting needles, and 6'2, 185 pound, 23 year old men get put into a room with a single 90 pound girl because his laptop was suspicious.I'm sure you can see how this does little to protect us.

This Nigerian fellow didn't even have any forged documents. Imagine if he had? Imagine if he had been a Chechen jihadist (not so keen on martyrdom, and much better trained).


Oh, and before I forget. This Nigerian fellow's plot? Apparently foiled by a fellow traveler. Good work, Ms Napolitano. Another job well done.