Flight 253 and Cable News Finger Pointing

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Had you turned to cable news late last week to hear about Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's foiled attempt to blow up Northwest Airlines flight 253, you may well be forgiven for thinking Europe is a region bustling with aspiring suicide bombers and airports with little to no security.
 
It's the same old narrative. Yes, the continent has many problems integrating its various ethnic populations, but some of the arguments on cable news are either deliberately misleading or just plain ignorant. Cable news reporters seem to continuously rely on the same analysts for their "expertise" on European demographics and airport security. The only thing that seems to change is that the "analysis" becomes more exaggerated with each incident.
 
Argument #1 - Europe's lax immigration system allowed this individual to threaten the United States: Sounds bizarre, but within 24 hours of the incident various individuals were blaming the Schengen Agreement, an accord between 25 European states that creates "common rules on checks at the external frontiers." Ostensibly, this agreement removed passport checkpoints, which allows Europeans from various states to move freely across borders.
 
For those of you who have traveled around Europe know that these check points are largely still in place. Had they been made obsolete, various members of ETA, for example, would still be a large threat to security in Spain and southern France. But this of course completely misses the point. Given that Abdulmutallab was flying from Lagos to Detroit via Amsterdam, the Schengen Agreement is irrelevant.
 
Argument #2 - The fact that Abdulmutallab was traveling on a one-way ticket should have raised alarms: Maybe I've missed it, but whilst Abdulmutallab's flight itinerary has received a great deal of attention, I've yet to come across a cable news report that has highlighted the fact that he possessed a valid multi-entry U.S. visa. There are a number of valid reasons for an individual to fly to the United States without a return ticket.
 
Argument #3 - This is but further evidence that we need more racial profiling when it comes to aviation security: I know various governments deny that they have a policy of "racial profiling" at airports, but those denials usually bring a wry smile to those of us who have ever faced problems at passport control. Sure, there are complications with visa forms and language issues, but from my experience, the vast majority of people I see held up on their entry into the United States are of North African or Middle Eastern origin. It's really hard to think what more border agencies could do in this area other than to detain entire flights or people with 'suspect' names.
 
Argument #4 - Reform the visa waiver program: The VWP states "nationals from designated countries may apply for admission to the United States for temporary business or pleasure for 90 days or less." For many years now, concerns have been raised that the agreement allows terrorists with French or Dutch passports the right to enter and commit terrorist acts without due diligence.
 
Again, the fact that Abdulmutallab was a Nigerian national who possessed a U.S. visa and was not an EU citizen deems the argument - in this case - irrelevant. (Nigeria is not a designated country.) But even still, new rules stipulate that any individual who wishes to enter the United States from a VW country must complete an I-94 form three days before they travel to allow the Department of Homeland Security enough time to scrutinize their application. Previously, one completed the form upon their arrival.
 
Argument #5 - We cannot trust the security provisions at European airports: This reminds me of my previous post about forensic evidence in the Amanda Knox case - "if only they did things our way." Whether an airport in, say, Chicago would have detected liquid explosives in a syringe is really an academic guess. From my experience, the security at Schipol Airport is hardly lax, and given its recent expansion a few years back one would expect its equipment to be cutting edge.
 
As for my argument, this isn't a European problem. It's the world's problem. Whether people in the United States like it or not, terrorist cells exist in this country, too, and young men are just as likely to leave Minneapolis for Mogadishu as they are likely to leave Manchester for Miramshah.
 
The London Daily Telegraph claimed that this near escape was a failure of both "intelligence" and "security." I would expect it to be more the latter. Abdulmutallab was on a so-called "watch list," and had allegedly been refused re-entry into the United Kingdom because the institution he claimed he was studying at (after graduating from University College London) did not even exist. Then again, the "watch list" contains tens of thousands of names and I would imagine there would be limited scrutiny of an individual if they already possessed a valid visa.
 
For all the punditry slamming Europe on cable news, the explanation is really very straightforward: We got lucky. 
 
(Image from Wikimedia; C.C. 3.0)
 
If you like this story on the foiled terrorist attack on Northwest Flight 253, check out this story on the war in Afghanistan and our national security.