Somewhat shocked that given the source, both the newspaper and the writer, to find I agree with a lot of this. I am still in the position of trying to process recent events, and standing with Paris and those suffering from violence elsewhere, and rather like Peter Hitchens I have no suggestions that are magic wands but I think I is clear that some actions will not deal with things.
http://tinyurl.com/pmjq53l
There cannot be, as far as I can see, any simple solution to the question that is being asked - How do we stop these kinds of incidents?
Without curbing the democratic freedoms of one group or another it would seem to be impossible.
Unfair though it mighht be to say it but when terrorist attacks are carried out under the banner of one particular group, be it Islam, Communism, or nationality the entire membership of the related religion, political philosophy or nation are immediately under suspicion of, at the very least, tacit, support of the particular terrorist group. Thus all Muslims, all Communists (or Left-wingers) or Irishmen are immediately tarred with the same brush as the terrorists. Those members of these groupos who deny any sympathy are immediatly seen as "well, you would say that wouldn't you" and previously firm friendships of long standing are destroyed in a haze of not knowing who is and who is not supporting the extremeists.
It is fine to watch the American President denouncing terrorism, but it should be remembered that, for quite a while, the IRA was funded by Americans, funded and armed, and they even had coach tours to sites of IRA murders. I hope that the Americans have, and it seems that they might have, learned that the Atlantic and Pacific oceans are no protection any more than the Channel is the bulwark that it once was.
No one country can beat terrorism that is bases upon a worldwide belief - politics or religion - and the sooner that the entire world gets its act together, and that includes the Russians, the sooner we might have a chance of defeating these terrorists.