Newman: Should we view the Oslo attack as an arbitrary act or as a reflection of wider political and religious extremism?

By: /
1 August, 2011

Without irony, the answer is both.

The attacks appears to be the actions of a dangerously delusional arbitrary actor.  Part of his delusion appears to be that he thinks he is part of a larger group.

However based on events in the recent past in northern Europe, there seem to be more of these arbitrary actors seemingly motivated by similar fears of changing population patterns brought about by immigration. 

That is part of the irony. They have common motives but do not appear to have created any common organization.

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