open Democracy News Analysis - Britain's terror trials, terrorism.openDemocracy - Comments

KVB Tharoor on "Britain's terror trials"

KVB Tharoor — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 15:23:23 +0100

Thanks for your intervention, I fully sympathise with your position. At the same time, it is worth keeping in mind that the courts are quite active in the country, and independently so (something a military tribunal can't really be), and that they, by-and-large, are quite meticulous in their judgements (against overwhelming media and public sentiments, two of the suspected 21/7 bombers were not convicted). Tackling terrorism as a criminal phenomenon while upholding the rule of law is a tricky process, full of potential pitfalls and blunders. It merits our attention as well as our cynicism, but not our rejection.

nick_myst on "Britain's terror trials"

nick_myst — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 15:06:27 +0100

nicely packaged background... though I don't think the UK has that much to be proud of, being better than the Bush Administration isn't exactly something to write home about.

Britain's terror trials, terrorism.openDemocracy

KVB Tharoor — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 17:18:42 +0100

Since the 9/11 attacks, few European or north American countries have come under more pressure from extremist radicals and terrorists than the United Kingdom. The botched bombings in Glasgow and London last month provided chilling echoes of the devastation of the 7/7 attacks on London in 2005 and the subsequent attempted strikes on 21 July.

With its troops tangled in fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and its leadership yoked in the eyes of the world to the aggressive agenda of the White House, the UK has fast become the "prime target" of Islamist militant networks. Many analysts believe that Britain's foreign engagements continue to make the country less safe and more vulnerable to terrorist attack.

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