Delhi

It wasn't too long ago that I had posted this.  Today the mourning has hit a lot closer to home, with reports of multiple blasts in crowded Delhi shopping areas, and dozens dead.  It's too early to figure out precisely who, what, etc., yet one thing is clear:  the PM's "India will win the war against terror" is not going to be nearly enough.  We have heard and seen both pious words and draconian laws from Indian governments before-- neither seems to have had much affect on improving security (although laws like TADA and POTA have done a marvelous job of infringing Indian civil liberties).  Manmohan Singh needs to explain what anti-terrorism infrastructure is in place, what is needed, and just what needs to be revised or scrapped.  Such measures probably won't stop all terrorist attacks, but they sure as hell might go a long way toward addressing just how and why India is one of the softest targets in the world.

A word on the timing:  Diwali and Eid are close at hand, and the likelihood that the blasts aim to destabilize communal relations (or to stabilize them in a state of permanent opposition) is too obvious to be ignored.  No surprise given the mentality at work here, but sickening nonetheless.