Ten years after terror

A decade after the Bali bombing in Indonesia , Associate Professor Greg Fealy reflects on what the attack has meant for global jihad and the fight against terror. When jihadists exploded their three bombs in Bali on 12 October 2002, their actions would have consequences far beyond their expectations. They had intended the bombing as revenge against perceived Christian and Jewish atrocities against Muslim communities around the globe, and hoped that the loss of civilian lives would shock Western governments into changing their policies towards the Muslim world. They also expected that many Indonesian Muslims would welcome their attack and flock to the terrorists' cause. Moreover, many of the bombers thought that they might escape arrest by the police, much as the perpetrators of previous terrorist bombings in Indonesia had done. Almost none of the terrorists' objectives were met. While the bombing wrought a devastating human and physical impact, with 202 people dead and tens of millions of dollars of damage, and provided some of the terrorists with a sense of retributive satisfaction, it did not force governments to dramatically change their strategic policies.