The war on terror, and the wider battle against radical Islamism, is never going to be easy or straight-forward. Just when we think we may have achieved some progress, either in thwarting terrorist plots or in deradicalising extremists, a new plot pops up, a new bomb goes off or another catastrophic plan becomes a very near-miss. In addition, there are dilemmas, tough decisions, difficult choices. Balancing security and civil liberties, counter-terrorism and travel congestion, principles and practicalities are just some of the challenges that await whoever is in government.
These themes are highlighted in particularly compelling form in two media reports yesterday, both of which are well worth studying.
First, The Sunday Times' excellent piece on the Christmas Day Detroit bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's journey to radicalism and then terrorism, highlights the new front opening up in the war on terror: Yemen. It describes how this Middle Eastern nation is becoming the new al-Qaeda hub or, as one official put it, "the Pakistan in the heart of the Arab world".
Second, Michael Portillo's superb documentary, Closing Guantanamo, which can be watched online here any time during the next seven days, is well worth paying attention to. Portillo also highlights Yemen, and travels there, but his major focus is on the dilemma facing policy makers: how to balance security and civil liberties.
There are three lessons I believe we can take from both the focus on Yemen and the issue of Guantanamo Bay.
First, we must always, always stay alert. The fact that London has not had a terrorist attack since 7/7 should not make us think the threat has gone away. The Sunday Times is right when, in its editorial yesterday, it warns us not to ignore the wake-up calls we have received. We have been so focused on Afghanistan and Pakistan that we perhaps did not realise early enough what a centre Yemen was becoming.
Second, however, that same lesson applies to how we handle Yemen. There is a danger that we focus too much on one place at a time. Let us not suddenly become fixated with Yemen, to the exclusion of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The fact is, radical Islamism - and its potential to mutate into violent forms - is all around us. It's in Nigeria, where shari'a is spreading and Christian churches are torched regularly, as happened earlier this year. It's in Sudan, Indonesia, Egypt, Algeria, Somalia, the Philippines, to name just a few. It hit the headlines in Bali, Mumbai and Madrid. And it is on our streets in London, Luton (as Sayeeda Warsi found out first-hand), Birmingham and Bradford. We don't need to go to Sana'a to discover it - a trip to Stratford, east London, would do. (Let me very clear - there is a distinction between radical Islamism, the ideology, and Islam, the religion. The vast majority of ordinary Muslims are peaceful, law-abiding, decent people. Some of them are among my friends and are among the most hospitable, generous and good people I know. It's a caveat that is oft-repeated, but is worth repeating.)
So yes, Gordon Brown is right to call a crisis meeting over Yemen - but let that not result in dropping the ball over Pakistan, Afghanistan or indeed our own communities in Britain. The fight against radical Islamism and terrorism should be about multi-tasking.
Third, Michael Portillo's film gives us much to ponder. It is abundantly clear that Guantanamo has done desperate damage to America's moral standing in the world, and has added fuel to the Islamist recruiters. President Obama is right, in principle, to close it.
I passionately believe that this struggle is not only a military and intelligence war, it is also an ideological war, a struggle for ideas - and ideals. That means that our values of freedom, civil liberties, women's rights, religious freedom and basic human rights trump the barbaric views of the radical Islamists, whose hate-filled teachings are completely at odds with our core beliefs.
To fight this war, therefore, we need to uphold our values. That means abandoning ultra-political correctness and returning to an appropriate sense of pride in our country, our heritage, our history and our Judeo-Christian foundations. And it means defending civil liberties.
Water-boarding, as depicted in Portillo's documentary, has no place in any civilised society. It is torture, and torture is wrong. I spend every day campaigning against torture in countries such as Burma and North Korea. It is wrong there, and I believe when it happens in America too, it is wrong. I also believe it is profoundly counter-productive. The practices which allegedly took place at Guantanamo have weakened America's ability to stand tall as a beacon of human rights and freedom - not irreverseably, and America can and I believe will redeem itself, but the legacy of Guantanamo has dealt a blow to the reputation of a country I love.
No one is more pro-American than me, no one is more grateful for America's leadership in the world, especially on human rights and democracy, than me - and no one is more determined in the view that America is at its best when it is consistent in its rhetoric and its actions. For those reasons, it is right that Guantanamo should be closed.
And yet, as Portillo's film shows us, that is easier said than done. Where do the remaining detainees go? Congress has said they cannot be set free in the United States, understandably. Nor can they be transferred to US jails. But equally understandably, many other countries say well if you won't take them, why should we? And as the film shows, many are from Yemen - and if they are returned there, they will either return to terrorism, or to torture. Moreover, those who are accused, with good reason, of serious terrorist acts, including involvement in 9/11, should face justice.
However, there is also a need for a sense of perspective and proportion when it comes to Guantanamo. As I have already stated, we must be consistent in our view of human rights. That means speaking out against practices in America which is bad, as I have done. But - and here's a message for my fellow human rights activists - let's not equate America's record with that of systematic human rights violators such as North Korea and Burma or, for that matter, Saudi Arabia, Iran or the Taliban. I wish Amnesty International would please say a bit more about the gulags in North Korea, to balance its over-focus on Guantanamo. Consistency works both ways.
These three themes - staying alert, multi-tasking, and balancing security with civil liberties - will be tough challenges awaiting whoever wins the General Election in this country. The key message is that our policy must be robust, and consistent, and it must reflect the ideals we are fighting to defend. Let us not forget that what the radical Islamists and terrorists want is to destroy our civil liberties. They stand against everything we stand for - they hate free speech and religious freedom, even though they claim them for themselves within our society. They hate women's rights and gay rights. They would impose on us, if they could, a society in which women and gays are stoned, flogged and executed and non-Muslims are forced to convert, or live in dhimmi status. So yes we must absolutely use all legitimate military and intelligence tools available to fight radical Islamism and terrorism, but let's not forget the ideological front in this war. That means holding up the very standards which we are fighting to defend, and re-discovering our belief in them.
