Warfare is shithouse for everyone involved, and it’s been that way since one of our unkempt ancestors first discovered they could crack someone upside the head with a rock.
Modern warfare’s replaced stones with drones but it’s still shit; maybe even moreso, because instead of fighting against clearly delineated aggressors, much of the planet has found itself fighting an angry, amorphous blob of extremism.
That blob also seems particularly fond of going out of its way to fuck up the lives of innocents in the name of its terrible, horrible, no good, very bad ideology.
These factors mean that when Q&A assembled a panel including counter-insurgency expert David Kilcullen and Dr Raihan Ismail of ANU’s Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, the topic of those attacks taking place in Australia was sure to pop up.
Kilcullen’s take on the issue? Well, he’s most definitely not assuming Australia’s exempt.
“I think that the answer to that is yes, it is inevitable that we are going to see at least some kind of terrorist attack here in Australia.And I don’t mean to be pessimistic, but I think we have to be realistic that if you think the government can protect you from any kind of terrorist attack, you’re living in dreamland.”
By contrast, Dr Ismail championed the view popularised by Waleed Aly late last year that posited overstating ISIS’ influence is not a good move at all.
“Muslims in this country are better integrated compared to some of the European countries for example, so we can’t really exaggerate the threat of terrorist attacks happening in Australia.When you exaggerate the threat of terrorism in Australia, there are consequences. When you look at that you are empowering ISIS, because that’s exactly what they want – they want you to think they are a force, a strong force that can come and attack you.You are empowering the rhetoric of ISIS, and that’s something we really have to avoid, because we can’t let them dictate and make us afraid.”
Whether we take Kilcullen’s position and assume the worst is around the corner, or Ismail’s which states we can’t let ’em decide we should be afraid?
Well, that may take more discussion than an hour-long panel show can provide. Nevertheless, check out the clip below.
David Kilcullen says another terror attack is inevitable. Raihan Ismail says you can’t bomb an Ideology #QandA https://t.co/7LfyKfNzkt
— ABC Q&A (@QandA) February 22, 2016
Source: Q&A / ABC.
Photo: Q&A / ABC.