Reading about the underpants bomb episode reminded me of a funny rant on airport security penned by Shashi Tharoor in the FT a few years back when airport security measures were stepped up in response to the ‘Shoe bomber’ incident, with the following prophetic words:
Generals are always fighting the last war, and security screeners are the same. I’m just grateful it was a shoe bomber they were reacting to. What on earth would they do if the next Richard Reid tried to ignite his underwear?
We’ll soon find out… (See the full piece here.)
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Leo is Head of WRI’s London Office and Director for Strategy and Partnerships at WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities and Professor of Practice at the SOAS Center for Development, Environment and Policy. Prior to joining WRI Leo served as Climate Change and Environment Adviser for the Africa region at the United Nations Development Programme, covering 45 countries. Before that he had served as an adviser to the British and Chinese governments and the World Bank, covering a range of technical and strategic issues linked to the environment-development nexus. Leo writes here in a personal capacity and his views do not necessarily reflect those of WRI.
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