How does the author address the problem of international terrorism in the novel, Lazarus?

West gives substantial attention to the problem of international terrorism. When his protagonist chooses to have his heart by-pass operation at a private clinic in Rome, he becomes a target of opportunity for Middle East radicals who wish to assassinate him as a means of demonstrating their ability to kill anyone, anywhere. The Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, steps in to protect the pontiff, foiling the terrorists' scheme. The terrorists come to consider the success of their mission a point of honor, and much of the last quarter of the novel builds to the climax of the terrorist assassination attempt.