The Power of “Terror”

In early 2018 I found myself in the quiet central bus station of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Kyrgyzstan is one of the poorest, and most isolated states in the world. The only democracy for 1000km in any direction.

The station was hot, and the people not much interested in the only foreigner looking for a bus to the southern city of Osh.

As I looked around two police officers approached me. Greeting me in Russian. They asked to see my passport then one held out a phone. It read: there is a terrorism alert. Militants targeting foreigners in Bishkek, please come with us.

My heart dropped the word terrorism instilling in me an existential dread I was unfamiliar with. Without thinking I jumped to my feet and followed.

My mind raced, eyes darting to the corners. I forced calm, this went against everything I had been taught living in Asia for most of my life. I stopped.

They summoned me forward. I grabbed my phrase book and said, “One minute, I need to phone the Australian embassy.”

And then they were gone, leaving behind a cloud of bugs bunny-esque cloud of dust.

My heart beat faster, and my hand shook a little as I realised how close I’d come to… I don’t even know. Kidnappings are not uncommon in this region.

I’ve spent most of my life living in East Asia. Suspicion of… well everyone is just the norm. I’ve been picked up by police, I’ve been scammed, and threatened. And I've always kept a calm head. Calling friends or the embassy if things seem hairy.

And yet the single word terrorism and my brain snapped to attention. Taking control of me and forgetting everything but obedience to authority.

Nearly two decades of indoctrination by the ‘war on terror’ had programmed me to drop my defences and blindly obey when terrorism was on the cards.

A lifetime of education and precaution out the window. I had been so programed for fear that it was the word ‘terrorism’ became an activation code kicking in a mental programming I’d never known existed.

I checked later with the British embassy (There is no Australian embassy in Kyrgyrstan). There were no terror alerts in Bishkek.

Since then I have wondered what those ‘police’ would have done to me if I’d gone with them.

And more importantly what other indoctrination lurks in the back of my mind just waiting to be used against me.