SWEET ISOLATIONISM:

Blair Moves to Isolate, Expel Extremists: In wake of July's transit attacks, the British leader targets Islamic terrorism with measures that draw protests but address public anxieties. (Jeffrey Fleishman, August 6, 2005, LA Times)

With his nation shaken by last month's bombings, British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Friday announced tough anti-terrorism measures that include shutting down radical mosques and deporting Islamic clerics who preach violence and hatred.

The plan is aimed at isolating religious extremists while giving wider powers to counter-terrorism forces in a country increasingly unnerved by militants. The proposals are an indication that the recent attacks on London's transit system, the first of which killed 52 people, have caused the government to reexamine the line between civil rights and national security.

"Let no one be in any doubt, the rules of the game are changing," Blair said during a 90-minute news conference.

In many ways, the measures run counter to Britons' long-held view of their nation as one of the most open and multicultural in the world. The bombings, combined with mounting fear of global terrorism and jihadist rhetoric from fringe Islamic organizations, appear to have provided a political mandate for changes that only a few years ago would have been nearly impossible.

So much for sang-froid.

Posted by Orrin Judd at August 6, 2005 9:55 AM