The recently released NIE key judgments provides a lesson in this philosophy, actually:
The jihadists regard Europe as an important venue for attacking Western interests. Extremist networks inside the extensive Muslim diasporas in Europe facilitate recruitment and staging for urban attacks, as illustrated by the 2004 Madrid and 2005 London bombings.
Interesting. Even with laws that make the Patriot Act and our so-called "domestic spying" programs look like an ACLU/CAIR wet dream of permissiveness, the Europeans are "an important venue for attacking Western interests."
Since the NIE was written in the spring, add in the failed airline attacks and German train attacks as terror coming from Europe.
The European law enforcement approach has stopped some attacks while failing to stop others. And the approach has absolutely failed to eliminate an important venue for attacking Western interests.
And there is no use saying that Iraq has enraged European Moslems. After all, 9/11 has strong European roots and planning was done in Europe long before the Iraq War--or even the Bush presidency. Besides, at some level, saying that Iraq has inspired jihad means you are arguing that it makes perfect sense to kill innocents because you oppose the war. Since a lot of people oppose the war, why aren't Michael Moore and Tim Robbins strapping on explosive belts and walking into pizza parlors? Or Belgians? Or the French? Somehow they restrict themselves to sneering. But not Moslem jihadis.
But by all means, note how the NIE describes how the law enforcement approach has failed in Europe. Shall we really try this worldwide?
