Although it has not been widely reported (why not?) Al Quaeda has apparently claimed responsibility for the recent power blackout of New York, Toronto and points between. If it is true, this would mark a significant shift in Al Quaeda's approach - targetting the government and the economy directly, rather than maintaining a primary focus on "terrorizing" the people.

If you look at the lessons of September 11th and the ongoing guerilla war in Iraq, there is good reason to believe that the claim could be true and Al Quaeda could be responsible for the blackout. It would closely fit their latest "modus operandi" - whether intended or not, the great success of 9/11 (from their perspective) was the long-term impact on the US and global economies. Al Quaeda supporters in Iraq are now targetting oil pipelines, water supplies and electricity cables.

And meanwhile, in the Unites States, things have changed from the days when people poured into the streets to "bring our boys back" from Vietnam. Perhaps Al Quaeda has realised that, in a world of Hollywood violence and 24 hour Cable TV, even the most shocking reports of terrorism in the US media will not be enough to shake the US public from their stupor.

Of course, Al Quaeda's claim of responsibility could well be total crap. It is not unreasonable to suppose that Al Quaeda could be almost wiped out at the moment, after their high-profile confrontations with the US military in Afghanistan and Iraq. Perhaps their latest claim is just total opportunism. But what if it isn't? If so, given the reportedly decrepit state of the eastern seaboard US electircity grid, they should be able to repeat the event in the near future.