Submitted By: Andrea Muntzel

Thanksgiving came around with an event that none of us could possibly give thanks for? a terrorist attack in Mumbai. I’m sure I wasn’t alone in fending off worried family members’ and friends’ comments about the dangers of India. I’m also sure I wasn’t the only one that felt fearful and concerned for our upcoming trip to the city.

In the days that followed the attacks, a deluge of articles, videos, and interviews filled the newspapers and news channels. If you haven’t heard much about the attack itself, I suggest reading this Wall Street Journal article, entitled India Security Faulted as Survivors Tell of Terror (also see the interactive graphic). Since this article was written, there has been a back-and-forth between Pakistan and India, talks about the effects this attack will have on the economy, and a theory that links China to the grenades used in the attacks (a completely different blog post in itself). Writing this post, I am overwhelmed by the opportunity to spark insightful discussions on a number of diverse topics relating to India’s horrific attack. I will write about my own perceptions and experiences; feel free to write about yours.

On Thanksgiving morning, after learning about these acts of terrorism, my first reaction (surprise) was not very surprising. After reading Zakaria’s The Post-American World, I have felt very confident about going to India. A country that can relate to the United States and that has strong ties to the United States would surely be a safe place for Americans, right? I’m not sure. After my family finished our Thanksgiving meal, I found myself in an unusual position: arguing in favor of India. Talking politics at the dinner table is a social faux pas that I try to avoid. This time, however, I was in the heat after sparking the debate with my response to my aunt’s question, “You aren’t going to Mumbai when you go to India, are you?!” As I gently explained my knowledge obtained through Zakaria, I realized that a lot of the distrust my family had for India was rooted in ignorance and fear; my uncle’s line of work has seen a lot of jobs going overseas to India, and my aunt thinks that Indians don’t like Americans. After researching the subject, I also discovered how limited the information I had about India was. I was unaware that India has been the target of 12 terrorist attacks since 2005 (see WSJ article, Murder in Mumbai). The fact that the country is pro-American does not mean that it is America, complete with the largest defense budget in the world. In fact, this attack has revealed huge weaknesses in India’s infrastructure and government.

These comments have brought up several points relating to the attacks in Mumbai. First, of course, is whether India is a safe place for us to visit this summer. I find myself conflicted in this issue. I initially thought that chances are there wouldn’t be two terrorist attacks in the same place within such a tight time period. After learning about India’s history, however, I admit to being a little more nervous. Being American in a city that has been the target of terrorism towards Americans is a little disconcerting.

The second issue is India’s slow reaction to the attacks. In light of this subject, I thought it was only fitting to include Fareed Zakaria’s discussion of this incident from a Newsweek article entitled This Fire Needs to be Put Out. In the article, Zakaria discusses India’s weaknesses in an honest and insightful way. He talks again about the need for reform at the governmental level while also touching on political, social, and foreign issues. A correlation must be made between the fact that India is a democracy yet is “plagued by weak coalition governments, patronage and corruption, with little emphasis on professionalism and competence.”

Overall, it will be interesting to see how India reacts over the next couple of weeks. Zakaria predicts that these attacks will have the same uniting result that 9/11 had on Americans. He writes: “while Indians have many troubles, they have one great counterterrorism policy - resilience. The Mumbai stock exchange reopened last Friday and closed higher. The country will persevere, the city will bounce back, and all those who have reasons to go there should not be deterred.”

Hopefully, neither shall we.