Mass prison breaks and the Rule of Three
Your humble blogger has been furiously revising his book manuscript for quite a few days now. As my last post might have suggested, it’s possible that during this frantic dash to polish up my prose, my perspective on world politics might be a bit askew. That said, I was aware that the great escape from ...
Your humble blogger has been furiously revising his book manuscript for quite a few days now. As my last post might have suggested, it's possible that during this frantic dash to polish up my prose, my perspective on world politics might be a bit askew.
Your humble blogger has been furiously revising his book manuscript for quite a few days now. As my last post might have suggested, it’s possible that during this frantic dash to polish up my prose, my perspective on world politics might be a bit askew.
That said, I was aware that the great escape from Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison was generally agreed to be A Bad Thing.
Over the weekend, the great escape from a Libyan prison was also though to be a Very Bad Sign.
And finally, there’s this morning’s news from the New York Times’ Ismail Khan:
Nearly 250 prisoners escaped after a massive attack on one of the main prisons in northwestern Pakistan on Monday night, a senior security official said.
Authorities imposed a curfew in the city of Dera Ismail Khan, in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, after the overnight attack on the 100-year-old central prison there, which had held more than 500 prisoners. All roads leading to neighboring restive tribal regions of North and South Waziristan were blocked and a search has begun, officials said, adding that six prisoners had been recaptured.
“The attackers have melted away in the population,” one official said.
Shahidullah Shahid, a spokesman for the banned Tehreek I Taliban Pakistan, said that around 150 fighters took part in the attack and that they freed two hundred inmates. He said two militant fighters were killed in the attack.
In the attack, more than 100 militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades and heavy arms rode in on motorbikes and vehicles and then blasted the prison walls and broke open locks on cells, freeing 243 prisoners, including 30 militants, the security official said.
Now, I’m not a big fan of conspiracy theories, but as a member of the commentariat I’m fully aware of the Rule of Three. [This rule of three?–ed. No, not that one. Oh. This rule of three?!–ed. No, not that one either!] Three similar things hapening means…. it’s a trend!!
So, as I spend the next 48 hours drinking heavily and making animal sacrifices to appease the writing gods checking my footnotes, I would appreciate it if some smart terrorism experts could confirm that what’s happening right now is not some strange replay of… well…. this:
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner
More from Foreign Policy
Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America
The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.
The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense
If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.
Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War
Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.
How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests
And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.
Sign up for Morning Brief
Foreign Policy’s flagship daily newsletter with what’s coming up around the world today. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.
