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Terror on the edge of Europe

Explosions have wrecked the British consulate and a bank in Istanbul, following blasts at two synagogues in the city last week. Suspicion falls once again on al-Qaeda.

It has been a deadly week for Turkey. On Thursday November 20th, a bomb exploded at the main offices of HSBC, a British-based bank, in Istanbul. Minutes later, another explosion ripped through the British consulate in another part of the city. At least 27 people died and 450 were wounded. Among those killed was Britain's consul-general to Turkey, Roger Short. These attacks came five days after suicide blasts at two Istanbul synagogues killed 25 others, six of them Jews at worship. As condemnation poured in from round the world, Turkey's foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, vowed that his country would not bow to terror.

A victim is helped in front of the HSBC Bank in Istanbul Thursday, November 20, 2003. Shattered bodies and rubble were strewn across the streets of Turkey's commercial capital Istanbul as the second pair of bombs in less than a week sent the city into a state of shock. [Reuters]

The identities of Thursday's bombers are still being probed. But Britain's foreign secretary, Jack Straw, stated grimly that the latest attacks bear "all the hallmarks" of al-Qaeda and its regional affiliates. An Egyptian offshoot of Osama bin Laden's terror network, together with a local Turkish group, has claimed responsibility for last weekend's attacks on the synagogues.

Whoever the culprits are, the attacks - four in one week - appear to be co-ordinated. They also seem designed to attract international attention. Although most of those killed have been Turkish passers-by, the targeted buildings have been Jewish and British. Moreover, the latest blasts came in the middle of President George Bush's state visit to London. What better way of showing the American president and his chief ally, Britain's prime minister, Tony Blair, that terror still thrives despite their efforts to eradicate it?

This week's bombings also fit a broader pattern of attacks in Muslim countries. In the past 18 months, targets have included Indonesia (Bali and Jakarta), Yemen, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and now Turkey. Why? For one thing, it may be easier for terrorists to strike in these countries, especially following the post-September 11th crackdown in America and Europe. But although the majority of attacks have taken place in Muslim countries, the targets are almost always western or Jewish interests.

Will the atrocities shake Turkey's government? Unlikely. Most Turks are Muslim and the prime minister, Tayyip Erdogan, is from a mildly Islamic party. But Turkey is a secular democracy; its highest ambition is to join the European Union. The Turkish people, like their counterparts in far-from-secular Saudi Arabia earlier this month, have been horrified by the bombings—all the more so since they were carried out during the holy month of Ramadan. The prime minister is seen as a competent and efficient leader, and Turks will support him if he aggressively pursues the terrorists.

However, there is little Mr Erdogan can do to stop the attacks hurting the economy. Investors and tourists alike will be wary. Britain's Foreign Office has warned against all but essential travel to Istanbul, Turkey's commercial capital. Citigroup, an American bank, closed its branches in the city amid fears that an attack on American interests would follow the attacks on Britons and Jews.

For America, the Istanbul atrocities only underscore the importance of stabilising Iraq (a neighbour of Turkey) and of staying on good terms with Turkey, the only Muslim nation that is a member of NATO. There have been strains between the two allies over Iraq: Turkey's parliament did not allow America to launch a ground offensive through its territory, citing overwhelming domestic opposition to the war. Lately, Turkey has edged back into America's good books by becoming the only big Muslim country to offer troops—up to 10,000—to support the occupation. But Iraq’s Governing Council, whose 24 Iraqi members were hand-picked by America, rejected the offer owing to historical tensions between Turkey and the Kurds of northern Iraq. Shaken by this week's events, Turkey will now concentrate on stamping out the violence on its own soil.

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