The perpetrator was a 22 year old British-born Libyan by the name of Salman Abedi, who along with his father had taken part in the conflict in Libya in 2011 which culminated in the overthrow of the country's then leader, Muammar Gaddafi. Six years after NATO's intervention in that conflict, in which the UK played a leading role, there is no arguing with the fact that the 'revolution' in Libya did not usher in the liberal democracy its supporters claimed it would, but instead a failed state in which terror groups such as Daesh have a foothold and presence.
It is now clear that the genie of Islamist extremism is well and truly out of the bottle. Success in putting it back in again can only be achieved if a foreign policy verily dripping in a sense of entitlement to embark on military interventions and regime change around the world, regardless of the devastating consequences both to the citizens and societies of the countries affected and to national security at home, is replaced by one that places a premium on respect for international law, national sovereignty, and stability.
In the wake of Manchester it is time to stop the pretense that the principle of cause and effect can be placed to one side in pursuit of geopolitical objectives that are driven by a slavish attachment to the ethos of might is right. The result has been disastrous and can only continue to be disastrous if allowed to continue.
Enough is enough.
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