I was not very surprised to learn of the attempted bombing of the NorthWest Airlines (aka Delta) flight on Christmas day. I have questioned post 9/11 security outside of the US since my first trip to Brazil.
Security is tight on flights leaving the USA. However, I was very surprised by the lack of security on US bound international flights. With the exception of Europe, the security measures amounted to nothing more than passing through (vintage) metal detectors and a hand inspection of carry on luggage.
On my first trip to Brazil, I was traveling with a colleague from Texas. When we left Guarulhos in Sao Paulo we both sort of looked at each other after boarding and agreed that it was way too easy to get onto the flight.