The U.S. is more hated by people who would act against it. We’re hated because we’re your poodle, but it’s a subsidiary hatred. If it’s a 50-50 toss-up and both are just as dangerous, they’d go for New York. But since it’s easier to get to London, it puts us a bit more in the firing line.
—Crispin Black, Guardian columnist, author of 7-7: What Went Wrong?

From the big-picture point of view, we probably face bigger terrorist threats since we have a more prominent Muslim population. And now there’s this claim that London has taken over New York as the financial center. It’s feeling rather pleased with itself, and if I were a jihadist, I’d find London quite vulnerable.
—David Goodhart, editor of Prospect

New York is safer. We have relatively good communication between national law-enforcement agencies and local ones under Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Kelly. Plus our Muslim community is largely assimilated. They’re not ghettoized as they are in London, and we have an easier time as a consequence. But I would say that Londoners behave much more rationally than we do. We’ve imposed upon ourselves much more regulation and non-value-added efforts than they have.
—Bob Kerrey, member of the 9/11 Commission and New School University president

Related:

• Archive: “Guides”
• Table of Contents: March 26, 2007 issue of New York | Subscribe!