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The debate over whether Political Islamists hate US foreign policy or our way of life will not end soon, but Joan Smith makes a very good case for the latter:

Ten years ago, Tony Blair came to power with a belief that his government would be able to cut a political deal with Republicans and Loyalists in Northern Ireland; protracted negotiations resulted in the Good Friday agreement, and the laying down of guns and bombs. That option does not exist with Islamic extremists, who want not just the withdrawl of British troops from Iraq but a whole raft of things - segregation of the sexes, sharia law, an end to secular culture - which we cannot negotiate away in the name of security. In recent days, watching people go about their business good-naturedly in London despite the threat of terrorist attacks, I have a sense that the public understands this. We have to stand up for our values, and that means that this time we are in for the long haul.

Unlike with the Spaniards, terror attacks in Britain will only strengthen their British resolve.

topics:
Business, Islam, Law, Iraq