The Hour at Hand

The Belmont Club links to a couple pieces on the Somalia attacks. And he makes two clear observations. First, the media. They missed this story until the big bang. And because they missed it, it probably helped the operation's success. Second (but more importantly) The threat from global terrorism is a serious threat to our world, today. (emphasis mine)

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Reflecting on the apparent suddenness of events, Miniter mused: "Only the media, not the military, has been distracted." The Media had forgotten it, but no one else had. In retrospect, the absence of media focus on events in Africa and the Horn in particular may have been a good thing because it enabled operational goals to be set, preparations made and plans executed without the distraction of politics, normally only a few steps behind the the arrival mainstream media coverage. But leaving that comment about the Media aside, Miniter's larger point should not be forgotten. The threat from extremist groups today, of which radical Islamism is the leading but not the only example, is a worldwide challenge. It is the challenge of our times and not optional.