Figure 1.--Here people flle the central London area target by Islamic terrorists (June 2017). Western governments for several years now have been treated these attacks as police matters. The approach has been to give more effort to PC platitudes that Islam is a religion of peace than in protecing innocent civilians. The question has become just how much blood has to be speilled before the public demands forceful action.

President Obama believed that the problems in the Middle East if not caused by America, at least severely exacerbated by America. This is explains his appology tours, release of terrorists from Guantanamo, and his efforts to withdraw from the region. This same narative has been pursued by European polician. British Labour Leader for example thinks that Britain itself is responsible for the Islamic terrorism in Britain. Other European politicians are less concerned about resonsibilty and seek to promote the idea that terror is something that has to be lived with and that not forceful response is either wanted or needed. British Labour Leader, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, believes that London is a safe city and that terror attacks are simply what people in large cities like London have to live with. Following the attack at Manchester Arena (May 2017). The former Labour MP and new mayor of the city said after the second London Bridge attack (June 2017), 'best response' to the attack, which has so far claimed the lives of 22 people, is to work together and support each other and carry on with day to day life. Surprisingly we see harsher words and rhetoric being used to criticize President Trump than to excoriate the evil perpetrtors of these mindless atrocities. They follow horrendous attacks in Berlin (December 2016 -- the Berlin Christmas market truck attacks), Nice (Juky 2016 -- Bastille Day truck attack), and Paris (several attacks). In America we have Boston (May 2013), Orlando (June 2016), and San Beradino (December 2015). Basically the response to all of this by President Obama and European leaders has been to treat these attacks as a police matter abd to espond with laying flowers, lighting candels, and singing kumbaya. There has been a refusal to treat these attacks as a war emergency and to respond with force.

Causes

President Obama believed that the problems in the Middle East if not caused by America, at least severely exacerbated by America. This is explains his appology tours, release of terrorists from Guantanamo, and his efforts to withdraw from the region. This same narative has been pursued by European polician. British Labour Leader for example thinks that Britain itself is responsible for the Islamic terrorism in Britain. This of course is precisely the Islamist argument. It of course is the left wing criticism of colonialism. Only the actual history of course is that Britain was not the prinary colonial power. The Middle East has been in turmoil since the days of the Caliohate and the division between Shi'ia and Sunni. The Ottoman Empire conquered Arab Lands (16th century) and maintained control until World War I (1918). British control except for Egypt (Suez) was somewhat longer, but the araAran Hearland was a colonial possession fpr four centuries. The British control was for basically two decades. Obviously it is absued to ascribe he problems of the region on the British rather than the Ottomans and the Arabs themselves. Notably, the primary issue which seems to have inflamed Arab attitudes was the British effort to end the slave trade.

Debate

Other European politicians are less concerned about resonsibilty and seek to promote the idea that terror is something that has to be lived with and that no forceful response is either wanted or needed. British Labour Leader, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, believes that London is a safe city and that terror attacks are simply what people in large cities like London have to live with. Following the attack at Manchester Arena (May 2017). The former Labour MP and new mayor of the city said after the second London Bridge attack (June 2017), 'best response' to the attack, which has so far claimed the lives of 22 people, is to work together and support each other and carry on with day to day life. Surprisingly we see harsher words and rhetoric being used to criticize President Trump than to excoriate the evil perpetrtors of these mindless atrocities.

European Mindset

A German reader provides us an insightful discussion of the German mindset which is a good decription of several other Western European countries. "Ms. Merkel has made so many unclever decisions concerning refugees. This one [referring to defense] is one more that she now speaks like the left wing people. The SPD rhetoric is 'We don't like the United States. And we don't like President Trump. Many (70 percent?) of the people here think that peace and well-being/prosperity will continue without any resources spent to maintain it. The issues are economic and it is political/military. In the latter I see much danger (Putin) and Islam. But this atitude is fundamentally flawed. Peace and well-being has been achieved and will be maintained in the future only if the Western world including the Umited StatesS will cooperate and work together to allocate the needed resources. I think, Trump is correct in saying all (including Germany) have to spend the needed money now and in the future (as agreed in law and many international treaties). That is my opinion but not the opinion of many people here and not what is played in the trombone of policians/TV/media. And Chancellor Merkel knows that (due to her previous decisions) there is the true danger to loose the next election if she continues to follow the common trend -- how stupid it is."

The Attacks

The despicable Islamicist attacks are mounting. There were attacks on Jews like Myriam Monsenego (March 2012). But now they have shifted to high body counts. And or this it is easier to target the population as a whole. The Islanist have gnerally targeted adults, but children hace been harmed. The Manchster attack actually targeted little girls. The attacks on Britain followed equally horrendous attacks in Berlin (December 2016 -- the Berlin Christmas market truck attacks), Brussels (March 2016 -- coordinated attacks), Nice (July 2016 -- Bastille Day truck attack), and Paris (several attacks). In America we have Boston (May 2013), Orlando (June 2016), and San Bernadino (December 2015).

Policy Perscriptions

Basically the response to all of this by President Obama and European leaders has been to treat these attacks as a police matter abd to espond with laying flowers, lighting candels, and singing kumbaya. There has been a refusal to treat these attacks as a war emergency and to respond with force. British Labour Leader Corbyn predictably in the U.K. General Election advocated strengthening the police and security services. He does not address the enormity of the policing problems. During the heighth of the Emergency concerned with Northern Ireland there were some 100 IRA operatives in Britain. The British security services are swamped with some 25,000 radical Islamicts. Given the fact that some 15 men are needed to surveil one suscpected terrorist -- a force of 375,000 officers would be needed. And proportionately there are even larger Muslim populations in Belgium and France. Some European leaders and beginning to think that the Islamic attacks can not be treated as meerly a police issue. British Primeminister Theresa May is suggesting that the solution has to involve more than expanding the police, but that civil liberty issues have to be looked at. He wants to make it easier to depport foreign terror suspects and loosen civil right guarantees that restrict police efforts to deal even with British subjecs [citizens]. Here the British and continental security sevices report that most od the individiduals commiting these deadly terror attacks were pople known to the police.

Created: 7:31 PM 6/6/2017
Last updated: 7:31 PM 6/6/2017