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