THE last time I checked America's policy was not to negotiate with terrorists.

But when anonymous hackers threatened to attack screenings of The Interview unless it was pulled from the cinema what did Sony do? Submit to the demands of the so-called 'Guardians of Peace'.

It has set a dangerous precedent and caused a huge debate about creative expression in the 'land of the free'.

So what prompted all this? Basically North Korean despot Kim Jong-un not having a sense of humour.

The spy spoof film would have seen James Franco and Seth Rogen play journalists who set out to assassinate the dictator.

Let's face it – it probably would have made middling takings at the box office – but the irony is that more people than ever now want to see The Interview because it has been shelved.

And North Korea's farcical response, with UN ambassador Ja Song Nam describing the film as an 'act of war', has most likely subjected Kim Jong-un's regime to more ridicule than the film ever could.

The furore started when hackers stole all of Sony's computer data in response to the upcoming film.

North Korea denies involvement but has described the hackers' demands as 'righteous'.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama weighed in saying there was no credible risk of cinema-goers being attacked.

The hackers told Sony that people who watched the movie would face a 'bitter fate'.

My concern is what the corporation's response teaches the young people of the world: that you can get what you want through violence.

That is not to say threats should not be taken seriously and they are always frightening.

After all, North Korean officials even grilled a London hair salon owner when he used a picture of Kim Jong-un's with the headline 'bad hair day?'

But when the President of the United States' recommendation is 'that people go to the movies', Sony should have a pretty good idea which way the wind is blowing.

It is not the first time Hollywood has poked fun at North Korea. South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone ridiculed Kim Jong-il a decade ago in Team America – so what exactly has changed?

Of course, Obama cannot force Sony's arm.

America has fought fascism in the Second World War, spent 45 years in an ideological war against the Soviet Union and battled the Taliban in Afghanistan.

So bowing to North Korea, with its regime of public executions and prison camps, and with all the eyes of the world watching just seems, well, unAmerican.

Game of Thrones author George RR Martin puts it best.

He said: “The level of corporate cowardice here astonishes me. It’s a good thing these guys weren’t around when Charlie Chaplin made The Great Dictator. If Kim Jong-un scares them, what would they make of Adolf Hitler?"