Wednesday, August 11, 2004

The fifth Horseman returns?

Visiting a book store recently, I happened to see a book by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre "Is New York Burning". The last page summary reminded me of a book by the same authors published in 1980 - The Fifth Horseman.

In 1980 the two authors imagined a scenario that is so possible today. The story is simple:

Muammar Gadaffi plants a Hydrogen Bomb in the heart of New York and demands that the Israelites withdraw from the areas that they have illegally occupied in the middle east. And gadaffi knows well, there are more jews in New York than in Israel. That is the singular reason for the bomb being there.

What will the American government do now? Israel is a country it has always supported (thanks to its strategic geographical location). The government has to decide between risking the lives of New Yorkers and taking military action against Israel.

The story was definitely way ahead of its time in the 80's and I strongly feel that it is the same story with the names of the central characters changed to suit the 20th century. They hope that in the current scenario, the book will be a bestseller.

There is extreme fear and insecurity in the american mind. They even sent their own troops to protect their athletes in the yet to begin Athens Olympic. If the American mindset were to be cast into a human form, it would be an ideal replacement for the ever paranoid and pantophobic character potrayed by Kamal Haasan in the movie Thenaali.

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