When the neighbours fall out

It always comes down to nasty recriminations in the end. He said, she did, they are & etc. The Brits have been a bit curt about the Yanks of late, even Tony's public ardour has cooled. So it's not surprising to find the boot on the other foot:

Britain now presents a greater security threat to the United States than Iran or Iraq, an American magazine said yesterday.

In an article on Islamists headlined "Kashmir on the Thames", the New Republic painted Britain's Muslim communities as a breeding ground for violent extremism.

Other publications and the think-tanks that shape public debate in America have also issued stern criticism both of Britain's Muslims and of the Government. Nile Gardiner, of the Right-wing Heritage Foundation, told The Daily Telegraph yesterday that Americans were coming to view Britain as "a hornet's nest of Islamic extremists" and thought it posed ''a direct security threat to the US". Daily Telegraph

On the other side of the planet:

Indonesian Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir claims America's top spy agency was involved in the devastating 2002 Bali bombings.

"The Bali bombing was actually masterminded by America. Well, not masterminded, but hijacked. They planned it, but their plan was hijacked by America."

"So the bomb that killed so many Australians, it was an American bomb. It wasn't the bomb made by Amrozi and his friends." SMH

He's also a bit perplexed that he can't just pop onto Garuda for an hour or so flight across to Australia. Well he can, he can do anything he likes in Indonesia but fears a less than joyous reception at the arrivals gate.

So I expect his revelation is like a little peace offering to his neighbours, US on a plate so to speak.

What with Hassan Nazrallah coming on all lovey-dovey, flinging the olive branches around in the Middle East neighbourhood you have to wonder who is really running the PR department.