London: bloodied, but decidedly unbowed

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Less than 24 hours after receiving the accolade of following Beijing as Olympic hosts, Londoners have had to mourn at least 50 people killed in the worst terrorist attack suffered by the capital in the modern era. Clearly timed to coincide with the G8 Summit in Scotland, the heinous attacks on innocent civilians travelling on public transport during the morning rush hour, were carefuly planned to maximise the level of fatalities. Since 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq, Londoners had braced themselves for what seemed an inevitable attack. But such anticipation can hardly lessen the tragic impact of so many people being wantonly slain in pursuit of some objective over which the victims had no direct influence. However, despite the initial shock of the attack, the response of Londoners has been a steely stoicism to carry on with their lives in defiance of the terrorists, whilst mourning for the victims. Former New York Mayor Rudolf Guiliani, who found inspiration from accounts of the forttitude of Londoners in the face of constant bombing from Hitler's airforce when he was leading New York's response to 9/11, commented on the quiet determination of the capital's inhabitants not to be intimidated by the events of Thursday morning. In London on business, Mr Guiliani noted how Londoners were exhibiting a "quiet strength" in going about their normal business in the aftermath of the attack. The G8 leaders, including China's Hu Jintao, stood shoulder to shoulder behind a resolute Tony Blair, as the latter made a strong speech denouncing the terrorist outrage and utterly refuting the idea that it would succeed in either changing government policy, or cowing the British people. But, there is an innate difficulty in combatting the terrorism perpetrated by Al-Qaeda and its affiliates. Many terrorist organisations, such as the Provisional IRA, hold political objectives for which acts of terrorism are a means to an end. Countries could either defeat it, submit to it or negotiate with it. Terror like yesterday's is more elusive and less formal. It is not a movement or an army in any traditional sense. Its sense of itself is apocalyptic rather than political. Its demands are therefore difficult to meet, even if negotiation was either practicable or acceptable. Fighting this kind of terrorism therefore calls for a permanent combination of smart strategies - the protection and security of communities and societies that are its potential victims alongside a recognition of the need to drain what can be drawn from the reservoir of grievances from which the terrorists draw strength, such as the Palestinian question, and the invasion of Iraq. What is more certain is that the perpetrators of yesterday's slaughter of innocent people are both inhuman, and callous, in the extreme. However, if their general delusion stretches to a belief that the British will cow in the face of terrorist attacks, then their inhumanity is matched