The people of Denmark, and the other Scandinavian countries, are now in fear of more attacks from Islamists as the fallout from those cartoons lampooning the Prophet Mohammed continues to spread. In the Middle East, attempts by some moderate Muslims to put this all in context, are being met with resistance. A pair of Jordanian newspaper editors who tried to inject some reason into all of this were fired for their efforts. It seems that reason has no place in the Islamic world.

Victor Davis Hanson, writing for RealClear Politics, thinks that this latest controversy is helping to awaken Europeans to the threat facing the West. He is optimistic about the growing resolve on the Continent to deal with these matters more realistically. Andrew Stuttaford, writing for the National Review, is less optimistic. Theodore Dalrymple writes and essay for a Cato Institute symposium about the future of Europe from an economic standpoint.

Also on NRO, George Neumayr and James S. Robbins weigh in with their thoughts. It is Lorenzo Vidino, though, who has the best piece on the issue. He traces the activities of the Imam in Denmark who started it all.

At the time of the initial publication, international media had reported news of the blasphemous caricatures, not only in Danish, but also in English. Yet nothing happened, aside from timid protests from the Muslim community of the tiny Scandinavian kingdom. So what is different about the situation now? More than the question, it is the answer that is keeping a good chunk of Denmark's political and cultural elite awake at night. The recent anti-Danish emotional wave coming from the Muslim world, in fact, is far from a spontaneous reaction, but it has been cunningly orchestrated by a knowledgeable insider, a real snake in the grass who has been creeping in Denmark for the last 15 years.

Read the whole thing to find out more about this guy.

Will Iran get the bomb? This piece in the NYT indicates at least some people inside our own government think it is inevitable. If they do get the bomb, will a crazy man have his hand on the button? Newsweek gives some more information about the life of President Ahmadinejad. Arnaud De Borchgrave writes about Ahmadinejad's religious beliefs. De Borchgrave's piece is the more chilling of the two.