Can we win the argument against the radicals?
Does our foreign policy make us more or less likely to be the target of terror plots? The government spoke back in 1997 that it would pursue an ethical foreign policy, one designed to support human rights and make Britain a safer place to live. But could it be having the opposite effect?
How do our dealings with other countries effect our security at home? What impact have the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq had? And what about the special relationship with America? Has the end of the Bush era and the arrival of President Obama helped reduce the threat of attacks - or has nothing changed?
Tell us what you think, text 85058, email breakfast@bbc.co.uk or post a message on the Breakfast Facebook page.
Jump to more content from this blog
About this blog
Subscribe to 5 live Breakfast
You can stay up to date with 5 live Breakfast via these feeds.
5 live Breakfast Feed(ATOM)
If you aren't sure what RSS is you'll find our beginner's guide to RSS useful.
Podcast
5LNPI: Is it time for higher taxes for the rich? 09 Dec 09
10:16 Wed, 9 Dec 09
It's Alistair Darling's pre-Budget report today - the last before the general election. Sources say Mr Darling will speak of the case for fairer taxes. He's already announced increases in the top rate of tax and national insurance and it is possible there may be a further rise today. The government's expected to increase taxes on bankers today. But is it time to ask for more from all the wealthy?
Download or subscribe to this programme's podcast
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~06~RS~)
Comments
Sign in or register to comment.
There is far more about the plot in Hayman's Times article. There you can be convinced that the US went in to a state of panic and nearly ruined all the work that the UK government had been doing to unearth all the plotters. Scary.
Complain about this comment
What a mess this country has become. Running wars in Birmingham at the weekend no go areas around the country. Sort it out before it gets even worse. The Muslim community need to stand up and drive this hatred out. Bunch of low lifes...no doubt they will have a pool table, xbox in prison too.
Complain about this comment
melting27 i dont know where theses no go areas are that you dreamed up cos i have travelled around all parts of the country and i am yet to see one ive met muslims and get on just fine with them and they get on just fine with me as for the muslim community standing up and driveing hatred out its not there job its all members of society who have a sense of community spirit to notify the police of any criminal activities not just terrorism that happens once in a blue moon by criminals which is what they are just like any other criminal regardless of his race or religion
Complain about this comment
i wonder if the boot was on the other foot and we were being attacked by muslims from saudi arabia and afghanistan or iraq in this country and they came and invaded us would we have radical christians becomeing suicide bombers im quite sure we would if we were invaded there is no doubt in my mind that england and great britain would be no diffrent to iraq or afghanistan with suicide bombings going off left right and centre
Complain about this comment
it does beg the question how douglas murray has been invited on the show today!
Complain about this comment
Why? Do you not like what he has to say?
Complain about this comment
zelda he is the autor and director of social cohesion when you listen to the usuall negative nonsense he comes out with its obvious the man is part of the establishment
Complain about this comment
Well jimmy, as adults and generally sensible people, we can see what Douglas Murray represents and understand what angle he is coming from. It's called freedom of speech - it's what this country is famous for.
Complain about this comment
zelda im all for freedom of speech but what makes me laugh about people like douglas murray is they pick and choose what suits the agenda let me give you a great example tomothy mcveigh who fought for his country america in the first gulf war and he carried out the oklahoma bombing funny how douglas murray and the bbc five life didnt mention him he was not muslim
Complain about this comment
But Jimmy - the debate was about radical muslims - hence the picture at the top of the blog. We weren't discussing the American atrocity or the IRA. At this moment in time, this country faces a great threat from radical Muslims. You can deny it as much as you like but at the moment, the main threat to the West is from Islam and its radical/fanatical follwers.
Complain about this comment
I'd rather hear from Douglas Murray than Rachel North with her "Religion of Peace" platitudes and her hopes for appeasement.
Incidentally, remember this bit of BBC propaganda?
The Power of Nightmares seeks to overturn much of what is widely believed about Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida. The latter, it argues, is not an organised international network. It does not have members or a leader. It does not have "sleeper cells".
Adam Curtis #fail.
Complain about this comment
zelda not true pal its why do some people become radicalised normal people the same as me and you decide to become suicide bombers or bombers like timothy macveigh who remember fought for his country he believed he was lied to by his goverment you should find some footage of the man speak the same with suicide bombers unless you look at the root cause and why they did it you will never get tackle it thats why one mans terroist is another mans freedom fighter
Complain about this comment
Because they are brainwashed by Islamic fanatics who hate the West Jimmy?
Complain about this comment
zelda in that case who was timothy mcveigh brainwashed by?
Complain about this comment
I have no idea - he was a lone nutter from what I can see.
Complain about this comment
Sorry, he wasn't a loner - another person was involved in the bombing.
Complain about this comment
zelda disagree he was a very smart and intelligent bloke he believed he was doing the right thing like so many other soldiers who fought for there country in the first gulf war who were lied to the reality of what went on there makes some people like timothy mcveigh question themselves many soldiers come out of the army mentally damaged for the rest of there lifes and end up homeless just look around the streets of london and speak to some people who have been there and done it how do we know there will not be more timothy mcveighs from the current invasions in afghanistan and iraq?
Complain about this comment
what a fantastic line up nicky with guests ed hussain (govt and neo conservative so called 'think tank') and douglas murray (neo conservative ideologue )all we needed for a full house would have been that now discredited but much loved 'expert' glen jenvey who has been found to be making up stories about so called islamic/muslim radicals (ref:The British amateur terror trackers: A case study in dubious politics - Tom Mills and David Miller).
so from the start the intent was never to seek sensible answers to the questions posed above .just an exercise in misdirection, blame islam rather than other more salient factors anyway maybe MI5 could resolve the issue :
"Far from being religious zealots, a large number of those involved in terrorism do not practise their faith regularly. Many lack religious literacy and could actually be regarded as religious novices. Very few have been brought up in strongly religious households, and there is a higher than average proportion of converts. Some are involved in drug-taking, drinking alcohol and visiting prostitutes. MI5 says there is evidence that a well-established religious identity actually protects against violent radicalisation." (ref: MI5 report challenges views on terrorism in Britain - Guardian 20 August 2008)
Complain about this comment
why is 5live (bbc news) speculating as to 7/7 being 'masterminded' from pakistan. there is no evidence for this , no fact so why is this link being made?
it has been stated that a briton who ran away to pakistan and subsequently believed to have been extrajudicially killed by the usa was behind the so called liquid bomb plot connspiracy (the possibility of the liquid bombs being viable have been discredited by most informed people ), there is apparent evidence to this in form of e mails but why should the bbc breakfast news indulge itself in what is not proven or evidenced?
it is understood by many in the region that there is a timetable to which the obama/uk are seeking to transfer the afghan war more extensively into pakistan, is this part of the propaganda, the softening up process to demonise pakistan to justify that action?
Complain about this comment
"unless you look at the root cause and why they did it you will never get tackle it thats why one mans terroist is another mans freedom fighter"
you are of course right, but one has to be honest about the root cause, people such as ed hussain and douglas murray much prefer to blame islam or an offshoot , prefer the blurring of the edges between radicals and mainstream whilst ignoring the core issue which even for bin laden was the duplicity and hypocrisy of american interventions in the mid east, the perceived occupation of saudi arabia after gulf war 1 , the support for despotic and dictatorial regimes against the majority of the ordinary populations.
9/11 was never an attack on the 'west' or the uk it was always an attack against the usa. the problem with the debate as run by nicky is that it denies anything before 9/11, it denies any sense of our wrongdoing and interventions. and most importantly it denies any valid criticism of israeli politics, ideology , it in fact goes out of its way to justify the treatment of palestinians over the last 60 years .
where is the outrage that has seen the gazans continue to suffer with the israeli seige, where are the sanctions that would deny israels expansionist settlements all against international law.
one caller did get it right where are the outraged friends of israel politicians condemning the actions of the israeli government towards its palestinian subjugates.
Complain about this comment
"zelda he is the autor and director of social cohesion when you listen to the usuall negative nonsense he comes out with its obvious the man is part of the establishment"
i think its quite telling which fundamentalist ideologues are allowed a platform and which are not.
using these individuals who do have an extreme view in the populist media is an attempt to normalise such views, even more so when these views are not adequately countered.
it is rather ironic that whilst commenting on some muslim channels on satellite feeds that run with what are called a 'conspiracy' with respect to 9/11 unchallenged - one ignores ones own house.
Complain about this comment
maybe this is an interesting read that details the evangelising habit of our invasions:
"A crusade after all?" (ref: April 17, 2003 Jane Lampman , christian science monitor)
Complain about this comment
some strangeness in that rauf had originally left the uk after a warrant was issued for his arrest as a suspect in the murder of his uncle, (no evidence of any political or terrorist motivation) a death with no apparent political or terrorist motive. yet the uk authorities failed to request his extradition from pakistan when he was in custody there even though they were involved in his interrogation and he was still wanted for murder in the uk.
was the reason that the uk government did not want to extradite him to testify in the uk, the same reason he had to be silenced by his murder?
Complain about this comment
wendymann thanks vey much for the information mate very intresting stuff
Complain about this comment
I know this is massively trivial but the comment that stayed with me after I listened to this phone-in was "If you can't get to a phone, you can text us on..."
I thought one usually texted with a phone...
Complain about this comment
jimmy-dean
you're welcome.
Complain about this comment
"I thought one usually texted with a phone..."
nope you can text via your pc too.
Complain about this comment
Anyone would think that this terrorist attack actually happened judging by the frenzied hysterical media reaction to these convictions. All of it of course isto perpetuate amongst the lay public fear and panic about terrorism rather than understanding its root causes.
You ask is terrorism caused by Foreign Policy? Well of course it is and its staggering in this day and age there's any doubt about it. The real question should have been is what determines foreign policy and that is of course to protect our bailed out economic system (capitalism) and to acquire resources for profit. It's got nothing to do with upholding freedom and democracy! Hence we attack and occupy countries like Iraq and Afghanistan knowing full well they can't attack us whilst at the same time we arm countries like Israel and Saudi Arabia and then wonder why a small minority might turn radical!
The more you in the mainstream media exaggerates the threat of terrorism the more likely will it cause an actual attack!
Complain about this comment
View these comments in RSS