Saturday, November 14, 2015

Friday the 13th Brings France More than Bad Luck



On Friday, France was attacked by several coordinated attacks across Paris run by ISIS Operators. The attack left around 130 dead, more than 300 physically wounded, and hearts across the globe flooded with rage. French President Francois Hollande called this attack "an act of war" on France, "organized and planned from the outside with inside accomplices," and added: "When the terrorists are capable of doing such acts, they must know that they will face a France very determined."

The next steps France will be taking, according to the associate director of the International Security and Defense Policy at the RAND Corp., Christopher Chivvis, appear to be towards counter-terrorism using overseas military tactics. Sending military forces overseas will be different from France's previous approach to counter-terrorism, as Frances original method was to take on terrorism on the domestic front.

"President Hollande has considerable capability at his disposal, including advanced airpower, highly trained special forces, and land and naval assets. France needs support of NATO allies and especially the United States to employ these capabilities to their fullest, however." says Chivvis. Luckily both President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron have proposed their support for France to investigate the attacks.

"We stand prepared and ready to provide whatever assistance the people of France need to respond." Obama said yesterday at a press conference yesterday and today British Prime Minister David Cameron addressed the attacks in France saying:“We have to send our support and our sympathy to all the people of Paris. They are, like London, like so many cities around the world, vibrant, multi-faith, multi-cultural societies. This is an attack on all of us who stand for the kind of fair and inclusive societies we want to live in.” This possible foreshadows the cooperation NATO and UN forces needed to fight the war up ahead.

The world has been scarred by many attacks by Radical Islamist over the years, but hopefully this will be the last time they get to play on the offensive side of the ball. 

What do you guys think? What should Frances roll in fighting ISIS in the Future? Is this enough for the US to deploy its forces back into the Middle East and now possible in Europe? 

Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/14/europe/paris-attacks-france-response/index.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/2015/11/13/politics/paris-terror-attacks-obama/
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/nov/14/paris-attacks-david-cameron-emergency-cobra-meeting

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The events that occurred in Paris this past Friday the 13th were absolutely horrific. 130 lives were lost in what was concluded to be 6 simultaneous acts of terrorism across the city, in areas heavily populated with innocent civilians of all nations. These acts were highly organized attacks, that clearly required help on the inside, that have left people in all corners of the world scared for what the ISIS caliphate may do next. The French government responded to this barbaric act with anger, stating that France is a united front that is determined to counter any attack that ISIS may bring on. Hollande states that this is now a war; innocent people have died and it is not just. He does, however, stand by the statement that a large scale land invasion would not be the best for any nation involved, which i personally believe is an extremely smart, although difficult, decision to make.
I think it would be appropriate for the United States and other NATO allies to assist France in appropriate ways. I think that the U.S. participating in land attacks, in or against Syria, would be far too dangerous and consequential, but there are other ways that the allies can show their support to France. It is important that the nations come together against ISIS because although France was the target this time, there is really no telling who will be next.

Anonymous said...

France should continue fighting ISIS in the future because they are a worldwide threat and an organization that will not dissipate on their own. France was unfortunately attacked last Friday but they have already threatened other countries and monuments since then, such as Times Square, New York City. This worldwide threat is not something to take lightly and needs to be addressed by our nation, and by all nations, more seriously than just sending more people back to the Middle East and possibly Europe. The nations should make more of a combined effort to destroy the radical group and seize its numbers from growing. The idea that the attacks can happen to any country, at any monument is scary and instills fear in all of us. The US specifically needs to do more than just send soldiers back to the Middle East; we have to protect home as well.