The Fruits of Appeasement

Islamists in Spain smell blood. Encouraged by Spanish voter’s apparent shift toward appeasement in the election immediately following the Madrid train bombings, Islamists have been preparing for another round of attacks in that country. When will Spain and the old Europe realize that they can not buy peace?

Over the weekend Spanish police surrounded an apartment rented to men they suspected in the train bombings. Rather than give themselves up, the Arabs, including the alleged ringleader of the train bombings blew up themselves and much of the apartment building. Spanish investigators recovered hundreds of copper detonators said to match those used in the train bombings and some 22 pounds of explosives. The Washington Post this morning quoted Spanish Interior Minister Angel Acebes as believing “the suspects were preparing to attack again.”

The New York Times this morning reported that the Spanish government received a letter from a man claiming to represent al Qaeda. The letter states that, “European Al Qaeda operatives had demonstrated their strength on March 11 and with an unexploded bomb on rail tracks last Friday. It said its truce with Spain was over, unless Spanish soldiers were withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan immediately. If those demands are not met, the letter said, Spain will be converted into "an inferno and your blood will flow like rivers."”

The hint of a continuing Islamist assault despite Spain’s having run into the arms of a socialist government promising to withdraw from Iraq teaches one lesson- a lesson Europe should have learned in 1938. Appeasement is to evil, the sweetest of fruits.