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No.336 オリジナル英文

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Transit Systems Worldwide Boost Security After Moscow Bombings
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It is a commuters' worst nightmare, a normal day turned upside down by an explosion.

But some global security experts say the Moscow bombings represent a kind of terrorism that is here to stay.

Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution.

"This kind of violence cannot be permanently stopped, and that we may be living with this for much of the rest of our lifetimes."

In the wake of the bombings, cities in the United States and Europe boosted security in and around their mass transit systems.

But the heightened security will only last a short time.

O'Hanlon says there should be more permanent changes in mass transit security.

"I do believe we probably should step up the relatively unobtrusive and relatively easy, although sometimes somewhat expensive, means of looking for explosives perhaps many more K-9 bomb teams at these kinds of places.

And we should continue to put a lot of resources into intelligence work."

While terrorism is a constant threat, local and federal emergency responders in the U.S. regularly conduct drills, like this one, to prepare for disaster.

In this drill, police and fire fighters in Washington are rushing to treat the survivors of a bomb explosion inside a bus.

The goal of these exercises is to practice, so when a real emergency hits these crews will be prepared.

From the tragedy in Moscow's subway, to the 2004 Madrid train bombings and the explosions in London's public transit system the following year, experts say no country is immune to terrorism.

"Today, the goal of modern apocalyptic terrorism is often to do as much disruption as possible and kill as many as possible in order to really shake up the way in which societies operate and governments make decisions and make the pain so high that decisions are reassessed."

O'Hanlon says even though the aim of modern day terrorists is to force a change in policy, so far the tactics do not work.

"What I think some of these terrorist groups may have underestimated is that we in the west or in Russia, in this case, are perhaps not quite as soft as they might have first believed."

O'Hanlon says since the September 11 attacks, Western societies have not tolerated terrorism.

And cities across the United States will continue to prepare for the worst, in exercises like this one, so if another attack occurs, they will be ready for it.

Elizabeth Lee, VOA News
by danueno | 2010-04-07 14:59 | オリジナル英文


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