Russian suicide attacks: Where does this leave the War on Terror?

By Ewan Palmer

How serious is the threat from terrorism to the modern world?

The suicide bombings in Moscow and Dagestan this week altogether killed 51 and, despite the likely localised inspiration for the attacks, fears of more violence elsewhere in Europe have been raised once again. But is there any justification for the current terrorist threat level issued by the Home Office?

On 22 January, the Home Office raised the UK’s threat level from International terrorism from "substantial" to "severe", meaning a terroist attack is highly likely.

Since August 2006 the terrorist threat level has not dropped below substantial – where the threat of a terrorist attack is a strong possibility.

There is no doubt that events in Russia will have reverberate around the world – governments such as the UK will feel vindicated in keeping the threat level high.

How much do we know about the reality of the threat of terrorism and is there any justification for the argument that it is kept high for purely political reasons? On the other hand, if the threat level is lowered and an attack on this country does happen again, would the government be held responsible for its lack of security measures?

We will be discussng the on-going War on Terror and more at the Frontline Club on Wednesday April 7 at our First Wednesday event. Hosted by hosted by Paddy O’Connell of BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House and Rules of the Game author Asim Qureshi.