Abstract

The Bubble

The author comments on U.S. President George W. Bush's state visit to Britain. The explosions in Istanbul during George W. Bush's state visit to Britain lit up the enormous gulf between the officials sealed in their security bubble and the mass of protesters who filled London's streets for the fifth time in a year--a gulf of deep disagreements about ends, means and the roots of terrorism. On the day of the first attacks on British targets, ascribed to Al Qaeda, Bush and Blair continued to insist that they are winning the "war on terror" and that violence must be curbed with violence, in Trafalgar Square a young woman held up her answer on a placard: WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH. There's no mistaking the message of Bush's London holiday. From the moment his armored helicopter touched down under cover of darkness behind Buckingham Palace, London became a fortress for his protection. Far from an affirmation of friendship, the visit felt to Londoners--even to many who did not oppose the war--like an assertion of absolute, arrogant power. Blair's closeness to Bush will only become more of a liability as the US election approaches. The best hope of healing the rift between Europe and the United States lies in a Democratic victory in 2004; Blair has just handed Bush a prize set of snapshots for his election campaign.