16 August 2006

UK Foreign Policy and Jihadist Recruiting

The cabinet's reaction to a letter co-signed by organisations across the Muslim community, in the wake of the alledged "mixing liquids in the plane loo" terror plot, was disappointing.

The message seemed to be: if you criticise our foreign policy decisions, you let the terrorists win. It's very condescending to say to Muslims in Britain, "how dare you give us an opinion on foreign policy."

Ignoring the drivers of extremism:

- Britain accepts Russian war crimes against Muslims in Chechnya (we need the natural gas, don't you know, Lord Owen's now on the board of Yukos)
- We accept the stalemate over Kashmir
- Britain continues to occupy Iraq
- The UK has stood shoulder to shoulder with the US over Lebanon

won't make it go away. Foreign policy is not the recruiting sergeant, but they make the jihadist recruiting sergeant's job much easier.

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