You do not have to understand Spanish in order to decipher?the current heading of El Pais (www.elpais.es). (look quick before it will be replaced...)

The cartoon incident would most probable never have occurred in Spain. Fear is, sometimes, not a bad counselor. If you know that a random attack is waiting around the corner, you will learn to think twice before submitting a provocation of any kind.

As an observer and resident of Spain you can only hope that what happened today will mark history, not as an unreliable incident, but as a real start of a new era.

At least two factors made this day possible. What happened in the world around Spain and -- to a lesser extent -- recent politics. The first one is most important. What happened in Ireland is part of the first factor. But both events depend on what happened on September 11; the entrance of a new enemy often makes old enemies collaborate.

Internal politics was also a factor but less important. This is only an opinion but the peaceful approach of the presidential party (PSOE) certainly helped. There are too many counter examples were pull devil pull baker doesn't always temper a conflict.

Politics, both in business as societal, can be very stubborn. Rather than harvesting a historical event politicians devote to more rivalry. In this case it is quite a challenge for both political partie

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