My one post about Captain Underpants

Posted By Daniel W. Drezner Thursday, January 14, 2010 - 2:08 PM Share

Longtime readers might have noticed that I did not blog about the Captain Underpants Bomber from Christmas Day 2009.  Why not?  Well, two three reasons:

  • This might shock you, but there are some issues where I actually like to read first and blog later;
  • Frankly, compared to everything else going on in the world, this was not terribly interesting to me;
  • On occasion, laziness pays in the blogosphere -- if you wait long enough, someone will write exactly what you want to say, and then all you have to do is link to them.

Peter Beinart, Marc Lynch and Fareed Zakaria have already said 90% of what I wanted to say.  My only additional observation is one I'm reluctant to bring to the attention of terrorists,  but the professor in me can't resist. 

It's striking how Al Qaeda and its emanations have demonstrated zero creativity in their past decade of attempts to strike the United States.  It's all about airplanes, airplanes, airplanes -- even though their ability to use the planes themselves as large bombs has been effectively neutralized. 

Any Hollywood hack  could devise far more inventive acts of terrorism -- which is why I think we need to treat those hacks the same way we treat nuclear scientists.  Don't ever let Michael Bay shoot on location in Yemen (I confess to being on the fence about Megan Fox and/or Shia Labeouf). 

Beyond that, everyone just relax a bit. 

[Drat!!--ed.  C'mon, pay up.  I was sure you couldn't connect Captain Underpants to Megan Fox!!--ed.  And that's why I get the big blog bucks, my imaginary friend.]

EXPLORE:HOMELAND SECURITY, AL QAEDA, TERRORISM, TORTURE, WAR ON TERROR
 

FP WONK STEVE

2:54 PM ET

January 14, 2010

Airplanes, Airplanes, and Airplanes.....

I find it interesting how you point that out. Al Qaeda and and planes....As terrible as this guy's plan was, Reid the shoe bomber, and some others, it really makes me really wonder if Jason Burke's book was really right about "The Al Qaeda Myth"... hmmm I really wonder....

For most people, any homemade videos claiming responsibility and affiliation is always good enough justification to make these associations. Take it up a notch and you can tie it to whole countries too!

It is 2010 and we still think these people are one whole International Organization. I can imagine what some history books will say about all of this in 50 years.

 

PAPICEK

3:53 PM ET

January 14, 2010

it didn't take long...

after 9/11 for me to note the similarities between what happened that day and Tom Clancy's storytelling.

I've wondered, since then, why I'd never seen any reference to those similarities before today. Don't know, and don't much care if there's a link, though. Just sayin'.

 

JULIOMOTA

4:58 PM ET

January 14, 2010

I counted three reasons for

I counted three reasons for your delay in posting on the Fruit of the Loom Bomber. But then again, there are three types of people in the world: those who understand math and those who don't.

But, yes, AQ is fixated on airplanes and the World Trade Center. Sadly they succeeded there.

 

DANIEL W. DREZNER

6:14 PM ET

January 14, 2010

thanks for the catch!

thanks for the catch!

 

SID

1:31 PM ET

January 15, 2010

Al-Qaeda's Aeroplane fixation

These guys have been struck in caves for God knows how many years. Additionally they are struck in such God forsaken mountains that the only way out is by flying or the backs of mule/camels. Another major reason could be they feel if they commit their Jihad in the air they are THAT CLOSER to their promised Heaven!

 

Daniel W. Drezner is professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

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