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The Achille Lauro Hijacking: Lessons in the Politics and Prejudice of Terrorism

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In October 1985, the world and US media were gripped by the hijacking of the Italian cruise liner Achille Lauro by 4 Palestinians, and subsequently were revolted at the hijackers' murder of the elderly, wheelchair-bound US passenger Leon Klinghoffer. Michael Bohn worked in the Reagan Administration at the time, and reviews the history of the hijacking and its aftermath in this book. He also tries to draw lessons and parallels in how the media and Americans demonized Palestinians then with anti-Muslim hysteria and xenophobia in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks. As well, Bohn recalls the murder of the Palestinian-American activist Alex Odeh in the wake of controversial remarks that Odeh made after Klinghoffer's murder became known, but where there was much less attention at Odeh's murder compared to Klinghoffer's.

Bohn does a good job with his coverage of the history surrounding the hijacking and how his colleagues in the Reagan administration handled the events, although one has to be aware of a slight lack of emotional distancing when he continually refers to "Bud MacFarlane" (not "Robert MacFarlane") and "Ollie North" (rather than "Oliver North"). He does take pains to try to bring Odeh's story from out of the cold in the overall history of these events, to emphasize that the way Odeh was murdered was just as monstrous as the way that Leon Klinghoffer was murdered. Yet perhaps unwittingly, as a reflection of the coverage at the time, it's perhaps inevitable that the Odeh aspect of the history would occupy less space compared to the Klinghoffer aspect, regarding pursuit of justice and of the murderers in both cases. Bohn also has an "interlude" chapter about the history of the Achille Lauro itself, in the middle of the book, which sort of disrupts the linearity of the narrative. He also notes how this incident was treated in various made-for-TV movies in both the USA and Europe, with different worldviews and degrees of political understanding and sophistication.

Bohn's point that there are lessons to learn in how the US media particularly treat both sides in Middle East-related events still rings true now, as does the subliminal message that Americans need to be aware of the social contexts and historical perspectives of other cultures besides their own, to look past individuals to see larger pictures as well. For a refresher course on this past tragedy, with caveats noted, this book is worth a read.