There has been no history of violence against tourists in those cities. The Moroccan terrorists that have surfaced in France or elsewhere come usually from the poorer sections of Casablanca, where there has also been some bombings in the past. In any event, in either city it is safe, fascinating and relatively cheap to stay in local riyads; there is no reason to stay in a western hotel.

The Algerian bombings are of another order altogether. Algeria has been through ten years of civil war with an Islamic brotherhood group fighting a government that prevented them from taking power after they won national elections. What is deeply disturbing about Algeria is that this group has adopted terrorist tactics from the Iraqi jihadist movement, including the use of suicide bombers. The group now calls themselves al-Qaeda in Algeria. It seems likely that this group has benefited from cross-fertilization with jihadists in Iraq, and possibly others in Afghanistan or Pakistan, including bin Laden's group.

It is hard to see how western direct military help to the Algerian government will improve this situation; it is a home-grown, domestic problem. On the other hand, the failed anti-terrorist and military campaigns of the U.S. in Iraq and Afghanistan have certainly not helped. I think we can say that the "jihadist magnet" theory, where the U.S. sits in Iraq and attracts then kills jihadists so they won't come to the U.S., is failing. They're coming to Iraq from places like Algeria and Morocco and spreading terrorist techniques to their own homes. Iraq has been a godsend for bin Laden and his loose organization of terrorist cells, and these bombings are yet more evidence of that.