Elections in Spain

Iñaki Ezquerra said that because finally Al-Qaeda has got their objectives. Its not bad that socialist has won, this is a democracy, its normal, its good a change. but its not good a change if it´s due to an attack. thats sad. Al qaeda won.

Nobody said they were. It's just that I find it quite irresponsible to say that Spain has lost it's dignity because (among other reasons) it voted out a government that had not respected at one point the people that had democratically elected it.
How dare anyone question Spain's dignity just after what your people has shown to the world since the bombings?

What you mean he gargained US support to Spain in the crisis with Morocco for Spain's support to the US in the war in Iraq?
If so then Aznar is a very bad politician when it comes to foreign affairs, and I'm even more pleased for Spain, and Europe, that he has been voted out.

Ponrauil

I know enough reasons to support a political candidate or not, don't worry. I also know that Aznar had a good economical record and allowed Spain to lead European countries in terms of economical growth, for example. I also knew about the opposition crisis.
But I believe that any political leader that does not respect Democracy on such a matter must leave, whatever his record in other domains. If I was Spanish and could have voted, I would have voted him out, with or without the attacks.

Ponrauil

I understand the point, though I don't agree with it.
But to say that Spain lost it's dignity is way out of proportion and irrespectfull both of the millions of people that were out on the streets on friday night, and of the people who democratically voted Aznar out.

All Al Qaeda has won is a change of strategy in the war against terror for the country of Spain. And knowing how unefficient and dangerous for the world the US coallition strategy has been, I wouldn't call that a terrorist win.

Ponrauil

France ignored Spain when Morocco invaded Perejil island. (a stupid thing, but not so stupid because they really wanted to get Ceuta and Melilla). As france didnt do nothing, Usa solved the situation. France is a bad allied and leave us alone. Spain is with Usa due to things like that.

And the results of this elections are not good because Al-Qaeda attacked spain with an objective, and they have got their objective, when conservatives were going to win. Al-Qaeda decided who had to win.
And that´s sad.

You have your opinions, I have my opinions. But you dont live here, and you dont know what are the problems here as I dont know what are the problems in Canada (Quebec situation, for example)

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Christoper Cox:

"The use of the terror, seemingly with success, to alter the course of the Spanish elections teaches us a dangerous lesson. The terrorists will be convinced that their violence has worked. There is not form of demonstrating that they are not in the certain thing.

Once learned, it won't be easy that the lesson is limited to Spain. Now the terrorists don't have to be limited to intimidate individually to political or judges with the violence. In the mind of the followers of Al-Qaida, the population of whole nations, if it is subjected to horrible slaughters immediately before some elections, it could be manipulated so that votes governments that refuse the armed opposition to the terrorism."

I wouldn't have any problem with that if it had been the people's choice, but it was Aznar's when it came to Iraq.
France's relations with Spain are as strong as with Marocco, as you may know, that's why it couldn't take a clear position on a matter that was not that critical. The US supported Spain, good. But the war in Iraq is a complete other dimension as it was a world issue and not a regional one.

Al Qaeda do not care what political side is in power, and know perfectly well that they are still being chased. As you said earlier, things are not that simple.

Indeed I'm not aware of all the issues that concern Spain only. But can you name the ones you place above the respect of Democracy?

These kind of statements and articles take both people and terrorists for idiots IMO, suggesting that governments that are/were against the war in Iraq as it was carried out are against armed opposition to terrorism, and that terrorists believe that governments like Spain's new government will put a rest to their hunt.

Ponrauil

Democracy has some problems and we have seen one of them. As Churchill said "Democracy is the worst form of government except for all
those others that have been tried."

Aznar´s party was going to win, that´s the truth. And after an attack they have lost.

That`s the same situation over here in the Netherlands.
We9 the people) didn`t want to be one of the allies, inspite the opinion Jan Peter Balkenende agreed.
Now we have some troops in Iraq, they have to leave in june, the people don`t want them to stay any longer and "dear"Balkenende tries to get friends with Bush and wants the troops to stay there.
GGGRRR, that`s not a democratie, no way....

All Europe can be attacked by Al-Qaeda, not only the countries that supported the war.

Before Iraq, in an Al-Qaeda document we could see as Al-Qaeda wanted to destroy the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, for example.

And who knows where will be the next attack: Portugal? (Euro 2004) Greece? France? Las Vegas?

Its easy to kill