A coordinated set of carefully drawn out attacks on the night of November 13th, 2015 in Paris, France by Islamic assault troops resulted in the deaths of 129 and the wounding of 352. The aggressive reaction of the stunned and aggrieved French nation was to close its borders for the first time since World War II, initiate a international manhunt, declare the event as an act of war, and bomb the assumed headquarters of the marauding ISIS in Syria with multiple bomb strikes. In other news, the President of the United States reiterated his claim that the terrorist clique claiming responsibility for the attacks was “contained”.
Somebody has lost his mind.
Let’s remind ourselves briefly of the extent of our previous ‘containment’ of this problem:
September 11, 2001 New York/ Washington DC/ Pennsylvania 2996 deaths October 12, 2002 Bali, Indonesia bombing 202 deaths October 23, 2002 Moscow Theater hostage massacre 120 deaths March 11, 2004 Madrid Train Bombings 191 deaths July 11, 2005 London Train Bombings 52 deaths November 28, 2008 Mumbai Terrorist Attacks 171 deaths September 11, 2012 Benghazi Consulate Assault 4 deaths April 15, 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing 3 deaths July 7, 2015 Paris Charlie Hebdo Attacks 20 deaths
Of course, such a short list leaves out the hundreds of other bombings, near bombings, beheadings, kidnappings, knifings, and shootings that didn’t quite make the list but were every bit as lacking in ‘containment’. It is a world wide war where at least one of the combatants doesn’t feel the least ‘contained’. It has succeeded in carving a caliphate out of Syria and Iraq, weaponized parts of the Sinai, Libya, Nigeria, Somalia, and Yemen. It sees an enemy willing to perform self containment, accepting hundreds of thousands of refugees infiltrated by the marauders themselves, passively watching the progression of genosides, focusing on the self immolation on the pyres of global political correctness, and downsizing their defense structures at every turn. It is almost beyond what any marauding barbarian force could possibly have hoped for.
The French at least have recognized the last outrage for what it is: an act of war in a many year series of war acts. They have responded with what they once disdained of President Bush – taking the war to the enemy on his home ground, to weaken his ability to project upon your own – but even the French felt constrained. They dropped 20 bombs on the alleged ISIS headquarters in Syria; the average major raid in WWII dropped ten times that many. No troops followed to rout the survivors, take territory or put the enemy brigades on the run. No this was modern western strategy – get mad, get even, then, get lost. Even that was better than the President of the United States who still feels this is a battle formulated by wackos who don’t want to get with the program, rather than legions of holy warriors.
The President has perceived that in the long view political victory in the struggle will be achieved by avoiding physical victory, against an enemy fighting a holy war for whom defeat is simply not an option. He is of the opinion, that given room, the enemy will come to its senses. His enemy thinks that whenever room is given, the gift comes with the invitation to take more room.
On a Friday night in Paris, people went out to enjoy a meal, a soccer match, a concert, and live out the gift of free society. In just a few minutes, the gift was taken forever. Lighting in color a few buildings in solidarity is a nice touch, but its not going to bring anyone back, or dissuade anyone jihadi from trying a worse cataclysm the next time western civilization lets its guard down. It would be nice if after all the playing of defense, we played a little offense, and let this clique know their days are numbered.