The writing's on the wall

Terrorism nurtures terrorism. Some have taken heart that the death has been reported of Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the head of al-Qaeda in Iraq. Even if the death is confirmed, it is too early to gauge the benefits. Masri was reportedly killed in a gunfight between warring militant factions. By extension then who is in control? Not who, but what: the gun and the bomb. The Americans have adopted another more primitive method of control in the face of this anarchy. The wall. Now walls have two main purposes. 1) To keep in people and animals. 2) To keep out people and animals. Walls can be military fortifications or metaphors. In some cases, the fortification can become the metaphor. For instance in Iraq.

- Warwick McFadyen, theage.com.au

An opinion piece from The Age I thought was pretty well-written. It makes for good reflection material on the "world level". Full article here.