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PYRRHIC TERROR (IMPT)
New York Post ^ | July 8, 2005 | RALPH PETERS

Posted on 07/08/2005 3:10:54 PM PDT by Ooh-Ah

...
So far so good for al Qaeda's European tentacles. Now consider how counterproductive their attack was:

* Instead of intimidating the the heads of state at Gleneagles — from South Africa's Thabo Mbeki to Mexico's Vicente Fox — the terrorists reminded them all of the need for unity. If you catch a rerun of Tony Blair reading their joint statement, study the worried face of Jacques Chirac. He knows it could have been Paris.

* The terrorists expect a repeat of Madrid, with British support for free Iraq collapsing. But Londoners aren't madrileños. During the Blitz, they withstood massive Nazi terror attacks night after night. They've endured decades of IRA bombings. The English intelligentsia will find a way to blame America, but the British people will not yield to terror.

* They've spoiled the party for all those sympathizers in the West who had turned their attention away from Abu Ghraib for five minutes to demand more aid for Africa. As President Bush pointed out, the terrorists disrupted a summit focused on poverty. Africans watching events unfold will realize that their continent stands to lose far more than London did. Even a rock star or two might figure this one out.

* Despite the drama of the attacks, it's revealing that the terrorists couldn't do more. 7/7 wasn't 9/11. It wasn't even Madrid. Not every attack can be prevented, but Britain's tough anti-terror efforts clearly limited what the terrorists could achieve.

...

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; United Kingdom; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; alqaeda; alzarqawi; iraq; islam; london; muslim; osamabinladen; terrorism

1 posted on 07/08/2005 3:10:55 PM PDT by Ooh-Ah
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To: Ooh-Ah

Phyrric? By what standard?

In author Peter's own assessment, the stasis continues.

When will the West act against Mohammedanism instead of imposing new restrictions on its own citizenry?


2 posted on 07/08/2005 3:44:46 PM PDT by mdefranc
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