"New York police are investigating a failed terror attack in Times Square after defusing an "amateurish" but potentially powerful car bomb last night. Thousands of tourists were evacuated from the square and the surrounding streets as officers moved in to dismantle the device, which was discovered in a smoking vehicle"
-Adam Gabbatt
The guardian

Saturday's bomb scare was a reawakening. People are reminded of the constant threat of terrorism, reminded of London,Madrid and New York City and reminded that we are still in this incendiary climate.

The constant threat of attack reminds me of stories and articles concerning the cold war, of course both conflicts are on considerably different scales(the destruction caused by nuclear war is incomparable) but there are some important similarities. The nondiscrimination of attack exists in both, everyone is a target. The validity of a war is put into question when civilians become possible targets, it goes against the principle of distinction. So both the cold war and the war on terror are morally despicable. There is also the potential of an ideological clash. The war on terror: America trying to spread democracy and the Al qaida network trying to contain what they deem as an Empire colonizing the world. Also, the governments are permitted to intervene more regarding domestic surveillance, to a point where the citizen's freedom is questionable. During the cold war, this was exemplified by the McCarthy trials and the communist witch hunt. In recent history, the Patriot act gives the American government extra power to survey(this includes a lot, between border control and checking emails) I'm not saying the Cold war and the "war on terror" are the same thing but that they have both become the defining mark of their respective periods because they affect all of the populations concerned not just the politicians.

Barack Obama has yet to release a full statement on the issue but it has definitely garnered his full attention. How he will react to this threat will have a great influence on the future of this conflict. The Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility but it has not been verified due to the "amateur" construction of the bomb. It has also been suggested that the bomb was planted as a consequence of the South Park/Revolutionmuslim dispute.