Here are some reasons I find the Danish Cartoon crisis interesting:1. Denmark is a democracy.
Which means that any extremist rage or terrorist acts against Denmark can't be explained as a result of Denmark's autocratic rulers, secret police, or torture chambers.
2. Denmark is rich.
Again, poverty can't be the explanation for the movement we have seen. People actually immigrate to Denmark to find work. Those who can't work enjoy social benefits among the most generous in the world.
3. Denmark is peaceful.
Although Danish troops are in Afghanistan and Iraq, Denmark has been among the least warlike nations in recent history.
4. Denmark respects human rights.
Once more, Denmark is a world leader in this field.
5. Denmark is honest.
Every year, Scandanavian countries rank among the top in the world, in every anti-corruption index. So, this can't be seen as a protest against a corrupt government, either.
All of these facts make Denmark an interesting test case for the various theories on how to combat terrorism. For Denmark is clearly a target of terror. The Danish Cartoon crisis is a terrorist campaign, complete with riots, arson, mobs, and threats to bring a 9/11 to Denmark. Hizb-ut-Tahrir declared a jihad against Denmark even before the cxartoons were published.
My own belief is that the Danish case reveals the bankruptcy of President Bush's anti-terror strategy, based on false premises of "democracy deficit", corruption, poverty, and so forth. Likewise, it counteracts liberal theories that multi-culturalism and attempts at understanding the "Other" will bring about a reduction in tensions.
What the Danish case shows is that there is no alternative but to fight against Islamist extremists and fanatics, wherever they may be living--including Saudi Arabia. And to focus on this fight, in words spoken by former President Bill Clinton in relation to the US economy, "like a laser beam."
UPDATE: Andrew Sullivan says:
I have to say I am ashamed that the West has not been more forthright in defending the Danes. That idiots like John Kerry and Bill Clinton would call standing up to Islamist intimidation bigotry appalls me. The West has a right to say that all its citizens have an inviolable right to free speech, and that all its female - and gay and Jewish - citizens have a right not to submit to medieval barbarism. Period.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali told the BBC:
Ms Hirsi Ali, speaking in Berlin, said that "today the open society is challenged by Islamism".
She added: "Within Islam exists a hardline Islamist movement that rejects democratic freedoms and wants to destroy them."
Ms Hirsi Ali criticised European leaders for not standing by Denmark and urged politicians to stop appeasing fundamentalists.
