We seem to have learned to accept regular reports of atrocities committed by suicide bombers, and are unmoved to learn that 75 people died in this way while watching a volleyball tournament in northern Pakistan (Retaliation Suspected In Pakistan Suicide Bombing That Killed 75 At Volleyball Match - Jan. 2). Perhaps we sense that suicide bombings result from forces so obscure that this entire spectre falls beyond our comprehension and control. This is not a helpful response in the face of large-scale atrocities against civilians who are, in fact, just like us.
Citizens and governments throughout the world should begin to frame these actions as crimes against humanity, and to mobilize the resources of the International Criminal Court to identify and bring to justice the architects, funders and organizers of this inhuman practice.