A series of explosions struck London's subway system and a bus. A
group calling itself "The Secret Organization of al-Qaeda in Europe" is claiming
credit, saying that the blasts are retaliation for Britain's involvement in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
Al Qaeda had three goals in mind, write Nile Gardiner and John Hulsman: to disrupt the G-8
summit, alienate the British people from their government, and fracture the Anglo-U.S.
alliance--particularly in Iraq.
But the terrorists "have underestimated the strength and resolve of the British
people," argue Gardiner and Hulsman, and the strength of the ties that bind the U.S.
and the UK. The "British bulldog tradition of rising to meet every challenge"
will pull through, and "Prime Minister Tony Blair is no Jose Luis Rodriguez
Zapatero."
This is a long war, conclude Gardiner and Hulsman, "but it will ultimately be won by
the two nations that stand at the forefront of defending freedom and liberty."