The 7th July attacks in London were not wholly unexpected. Much progress has been made in recent years in the UK's emergency preparedness and its ability to pre-empt terrorist attacks through, for example, the Civil Contingencies legislation and the formation of JTAC respectively. There are, however, many hurdles to be overcome. But another key part of counter-terrorism strategy, and arguably the most important, is to demotivate, to reverse the motivation and recruitment potential, of those 1,600 or so individuals that MI5 sees as a threat and, equally importantly, to prevent the radicalisation of many more. The British government has been reluctant to acknowledge the impact that the international realm and some foreign policies have had on domestic radicalisation in the UK. This may be partly why it is looking within for solutions to the problem of radicalisation, through the emphasis on integration, societal cohesion and equality. As laudable as these aspirations appear to be, one should not deceive oneself into believing that these initiatives will solve the problem of home-grown terrorism. The problems of societal cohesion and lack of integration of minority communities into mainstream society have been with us for decades, a long time before any serious threat of terrorism emerged from within the UK's Muslim community. If the government is to engage with the Muslim community in its response to terrorism then an acknowledgement of the impact of UK foreign policy on domestic radicalisation would at least better inform that engagement.