Theresa May, Terrorism, and Western Values

May's statement was sober, purposeful, and appropriate. What struck me particularly was her willingness to draw hard lines. British values—Western values—are not compatible with all values, and British-Western values are to be preferred. In the best of times, this will always generate tensions between discreet communities within a pluralist democracy and the society as a whole. Pluralism, we should know by now, does not happen on its own. It requires tricky concessions and negotiations. Certain preferences must be relinquished in favor of greater values. It is particularly tricky when dealing with faith communities—each one believing (as they ought) that their faith has some special grasp of truth. Hazards abound.