Spreading Fear

"Terrorism" is commonly -- and especially since Sept. 11, 2001, -- defined and understood as an attempt by radical groups and individuals to achieve certain political aims by killing or hurting as many people as possible. In view of the attacks in New York, Madrid and London, this interpretation tends to be accepted without argument and the identity of the perpetrators is taken for granted -- not only by George W. Bush, but by Western politicians everywhere. Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda, Islamic Jihad and similar names have long since become the embodiment of terror and terrorists.

At the same time, "terror" also means putting fear into an innocent civilian population and thus making it more receptive for the political demands that one is unable to implement any other way.

And that is exactly what we have been experiencing in Germany nearly every day. In this case, the "perpetrators" don't come from the caves of Afghanistan or the mountains along the Pakistani border, but from near the Black Forest, Rheingau or Franconia. And these "perpetrators" don't operate from the underground, but rather as German political officials.

Top politicians intimidate and frighten the Germans with new visions of terror almost every day: with the danger of nuclear terror attacks, the danger that -- like in Manhattan -- hijacked passenger airplanes could be piloted into big German cities. Or the danger that terrorists could come by boat and carry out attacks. Not to mention the danger that a seemingly incalculable mass of converts to Islam has become a sort of terrorist fifth column.

The question is not if but when these grim visions will be realized claim [Christian Union] politicians such as Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, his Bavarian counterpart Günther Beckstein, or Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung when they spread their prophecies of doom. And thus recklessly spread fear and terror.

By now, even the Union's Social Democratic coalition partners in Berlin take exception to it, although in the previous government it was one of them who, as federal interior minister, demanded "law and order." It appears to have more to do with the office than the individual to issue such warnings and to demand tightening existing laws and more power to the police as tried and tested antidotes.

It is, of course, politicians' duty to contemplate ways to deal with possible dangers or how they could be avoided in the first place. Just as the security services -- there are 38 such federal institutions in Germany -- naturally must contemplate those things and run through their eerie case scenarios.

The main difference is that the security services engage in these deliberations internally and not in the media. Such discussions don't belong in public. If they continue to be carried on there, "al Qaeda" becomes superfluous.

Peter Philipp is Deutsche Welle's chief correspondent (ncy).