On the Bali bombing

On the Bali bombing

The Indonesian government's caution in pronouncing on the nature of the Bali Bomb attack is understandable as the country, alone among the Southeast Asian core nations, has consistently downplayed the reach of the al-Qaeda terror network from its Middle Eastern base.

Question: Will Indonesia now be prodded to live up to its duty of handling the menace? The Bali attack will have taught nothing if nations most at risk maintain the delusion that dealing with terror cells would compromise domestic political order.

The Bali incident prompts two questions. First, President George W. Bush needs to take a step back in the light of the attack and think hard: Has his campaign against organized terror been sidetracked by his obsession with Iraq? Second, Indonesia will be inviting unwelcome American intervention if it does not face up to what is clearly a violation of its honor.

-- Straits Times, Singapore