by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright December 25, 1999
All Rights Reserved.

piraling to a crescendo, the long-waited, but dreaded, Y2K nightmare—everything from widespread blackouts, water shortages and cash panic, to random acts of terrorism—is about to go down the drain along with what’s left of the Moet & Chandon. Proving that mass hysteria is alive and well, many people are losing sleep expecting every imaginable snafu with Y2K. Anticipatory anxiety is filtering into the nation’s emergency rooms witnessing a disproportionately high number of panic-attack disorders. "We urge people to settle down and avoid panic," said an unnamed Los Angeles County Mental Health official. Like the flood or earthquake that never happened, the casualties of Y2K involve countless individuals expecting the worse as the calendar turns another page.

       With the media all but fixated on Y2K, otherwise random acts of crime or violence are now made part of some global conspiracy. "As we head towards the new year, the millennium, and the end of Ramadan, this is a period of heightened risk of terrorist actions involving Americans," said White House National Security Advisor Samuel R. "Sandy" Berger. Hyping an already anxiety-filled public, "Americans should be vigilant as they go about their plans for the new year," remarked Berger. But how much of a public service is it to issue global travel warnings, create widespread anxiety, and promote frightening images of chaos? What’s Ramadan got to do with it? When Algerian Ahmed Ressam crossed the Canadian border into the United States with bomb-making paraphernalia, it automatically struck a watching world that Y2K’s worst nightmare—the threat of terrorism—was on its way. Whether his arrest was anything other than another random occurrence is anyone’s guess.

       Drawing global connections to multimillionaire, Saudi international terrorist Osama bin Laden, whose worldwide terrorism training network has been a prickly thorn in the State Department’s side, creates sensational intrigue, but hasn’t been established. If there’s any connection at all, the Algerian born Ressam may be more linked with Iran’s Islamic Jihad or Lebanon’s Hezbollah, whose terrorist groups vehemently oppose the most recent U.S.-backed Israeli-Syria peace treaty. Stretching the connection to Osama bin Laden furthers the propaganda war by justifying the use of any and all means against suspected terrorists, but doesn’t prove that there’s such a link. Resam’s arrest in Port Angeles, Wash., about 60 miles northwest of Seattle, indicates that U.S. borders are vulnerable to the stealth movements of suspected terrrorists—but that’s about all.

       "It’s a lot more fluid than it used to be," said Brian M. Jenkins, a Los-Angeles-based counter-terrorism consultant. "It more closely resembles a 'terrorist Internet,' as opposed to a military command structure. All of this makes it more difficult for the authorities to deal with . . . ," Jenkins remarked, suggesting that the shadowy activity has gotten even more smoky in recent years. While it’s convenient to link Algerian suspects, like Ahmed Ressam, to Osam bin Laden’s group, establishing positive identifications is easier said than done. According to French authorities, without knowing it, Ressam might be more closely tied to Afghanistan’s old freedom fighters known as the Moujohedeen, trained by the hard-line Taliban militia in Pakistan during the late '70s. One thing’s clear: Ressam is part of a larger terrorist network whose immediate political ambitions remain uncertain. Stretching his arrest on December 14, 1999 near Seattle to organized terror against the U.S. or American targets remains entirely ambiguous.

       "We know that at the millennium a lot of people who may even be a little crazy by our standards may have a political point to make and try to take advantage of it," president Clinton told CNN. Creating self-fulfilling prophesies by anticipating the worse only invites unstable people to lash out in irresponsible ways. Because of anticipated violence, many people have canceled their millennium itineraries and now plan to spend their New Year’s holiday playing it safe. While many cities plan millennium celebrations, a USA Today poll found that 50% of Americans plan to avoid public gatherings and crowds between Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 because of potential terrorism. In fact, about 62% said that they believe an attack would occur in the U.S. over the New Year’s holiday. Now that’s clearly negative thinking.

       Saturating the airwaves with expectations about disasters waiting to happen doesn’t promote the kind of reassurance enabling free citizens to go about their business. Terrorists aren’t responsible for short-circuiting America’s millennium travel and celebration plans. No, this time around, it’s the media frenzy and all the hype creating widespread anxiety that’s torpedoing vacation plans. Six months ago the Travel Industry conference board estimated nearly zero vacancy rates at most resort destinations in anticipation of the millennium celebration. With many people now whipped into panic, vacancy rates are actually running about 50%. What terror hasn’t been induced by thugs like Osama bin Laden, has been adroitly applied by the American media. Ratcheting up every terrorism-related news items—no matter how trivial—now has the public fearing for its safety.

       As Ahmed Ressam rots in federal detention, little does he know that millions of American’s have changed their vacation plans on his account. Rather than feeling safer, the public views his arrest as the tip of the iceberg and experiences more anxiety about terrorism. While most people welcome the new millennium, they do so with morbid anticipation. Instead of celebrating a major event, they’re cowering in fear, actually feeling relief once the event quietly passes into the night. With the Internet and cable news giving all the up-to-the-minute info, millennium watchers will be on heightened alert until the clock strikes midnight on Dec. 31. Everyone likes good drama. But no one likes to be victimized by their own internal demons. With only a few days left to Y2K, it’s still not too late to reclaim one’s senses, control irrational fears, and make the very most out of this once-in-a-lifetime event.

About the Author

John M. Curtis is editor of OnlineColumnist.com. He’s also the director of a West Los Angeles think tank specializing in human behavior, health care and political research and media consultation. He’s a seminar trainer, columnist and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.