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Terrorism is working, and that should terrify all of us.

JL;DR SUMMARY Tobias Gisle's essay explores the disturbing efficacy of terrorism in today's world, focusing on the manipulation of media and public perception. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

HamasMiddle EastTerrorismPalestinian ConflictYuval Noah HarariMediaPolitical ViolenceWestern PerceptionsTotalitarian Movements

Places mentioned

London, United Kingdom
"They were quickly followed by attacks in London and Madrid."
Madrid, Madrid Autonomous Community, Spain
"They were quickly followed by attacks in London and Madrid."
Paris, Île-de-France, France
"Then came ISIS, which identified Paris, the City of Light, as a city to cast into darkness massive acts of mass murder that would provide a fast track to paradise."
Gaza, Palestinian Territories
"Hamas knew full well that Israel would go deep and wide into Gaza after they attacked in such a savage manner."
Israel
"The remains of an Israeli civilian bus, in which a Palestinian suicide bomber exploded, during the Second Intifada (photo: Zvika Golan/IDF Spokespersons Unit)"
Stockholm, Sweden
"This is a guest essay by Tobias Gisle, who has a Masters in Middle Eastern Studies from Stockholm University."
Yemen
"If one murders a group of villagers in Yemen or Afghanistan, the world will never talk about it."
Afghanistan
"If one murders a group of villagers in Yemen or Afghanistan, the world will never talk about it."
New York, United States
"For Al-Qaeda to choose New York was great PR  very nearly perfect for maximum impact, to strike where every camera is pointed is an unbeatable idea."
Iran
"A great example of terrorists running a country is the Islamic Republic of Iran."
Egypt
"Great Britain and France were, to put it mildly, unsatisfactory role models for the Arab world in the early 20th century; they were the very colonial powers occupying the lions share of the Arab world."

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Retrieved 2026-04-28 05:31:05 UTC
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