Après Paris: What now, Europe?
- By Sumantra Maitra
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E-mail China.org.cn, November 18, 2015
Germany says Paris attack is an attack on Europe; Britain raises its threat level to "attack imminent." And France, the bastion of liberty, closed her borders and imposed a wartime emergency, with the army on the street and curfew at night. One might argue, as to why suddenly Europe is all so vigilant, when they were the ones protesting the most against the activities of security agencies and intelligence gathering in recent years.
The cause of this attack is not refugees, but homegrown terrorists like Jihadi John, born and radicalized within Europe, not coming from Syria as a migrant, but as a returning Jihadist. However, this is not the time to talk logic and sense in Europe.
Russia and President Assad are the biggest immediate winners in all this. Their rhetoric of a clash of civilizations, between forces of good and barbarism, will resonate more and more among common Europeans, fearful of outsiders and turning more insular and xenophobic. Right wing parties, and Euro-sceptics are already blaming the EU for the migrant crisis, as attacks against immigrants rise to a fearful 1930s level.
It is a shocking time to be in Europe, when Europeans are looking at Assad and Putin as their saviors against Islamist jihadists - a feeling one gets from conversations in bus queues and cafes and salons. That this is being portrayed as a war between the European way of life, and the ISIS statement of killing "infidels amid their debauchery and fornication" is not helping.
ISIS wanted Europe to come after Muslims. It wanted the complicated multi-pronged conflict in Middle East to be simplified as a war between Muslims and non-Muslims all over the world. It looks like they got their wish. There will be a war. And it will be horrific.
The writer is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:
http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SumantraMaitra.htm
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