International

Early last week foreign affairs commentator Jan van Benthem of the national daily newspaper Nederlands Dagblad condemned the bloody attack in Afghanistan in which the Taliban used an ambulance to deliver a bomb. He coupled this condemnation with a call not to let up on the fight against the ultimate evil which is terrorism. In this, Van Benthem found it necessary to attack supporters of a different, more effective approach, including the writer of this article. He even gave the impression that I was lacking the moral conviction to oppose this evil.

SP members took to the streets in three cities at the weekend and on into Monday to speak out against the government's decision to prolong three military missions. Under the slogan 'Permanent war? Not in my name', flyers were distributed in The Hague, Leiden and Amsterdam.

Shortly after the horrific attacks of 11th September 2001 in New York, George W. Bush unleashed the War on Terror. Once and for all, terrorist organisations like Al Qa’ida had to be dealt with. The War on Terror began in October of the same year with the invasion of Afghanistan, where the Taliban regime was ousted, and there followed the attack on and invasion of Iraq, which put an end to Saddam Hussein's dictatorship. Years and years of occupation followed in both cases.

SP leader Emile Roemer spoke in today’s debate with the government of the fate of the victims of the attacks in Brussels. "Our neighbours have been hit," he said. "A blow has been struck against our friends. They are in mourning and with them, we remember." In the debate Roemer pointed once more to the still poor cooperation between security services in Europe and to the need for additional measures to prevent radicalisation in the neighbourhoods. "The threat of an attack will never be wholly removed," he noted. "But we can certainly do more. To defend our constitutional state and our democracy against those who threaten our freedom. Do more – with prevention and a hard approach."