After a string of bloody attacks that has hit Europe recently, the situation on the continent has drastically changed. France seems to be living in a constant state of emergency these days, while Belgium is increasing its combat readiness. Sad news is coming from Germany that somehow managed to avoid tragedies for a long time.
The consequences of the recent terrorist attacks can be observed everywhere in Europe, in the daily activities of European citizens, in the atmosphere in the streets, even in the declining economy. Most major European cities are now being patrolled by armed soldiers, while synagogues, railway stations and airports are being heavily guarded. Border crossings have been virtually closed. Last weekend we’ve witnessed an 11 kilometers long traffic jam on the border crossing between Spain and France.
French President Francois Holland has already dispatched more than 10,000 soldiers and demanded to expand reservist ranks.
As it has been shown by the recent terrorist attacks in Europe, ISIS has been taking full advantage of migrant flows, that provide radical militants with an opportunity to infiltrate the EU, notes the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung. According to the German Federal Criminal Police office, an ever increasing number of refugees is being suspected of terrorist connections. This civil body notes that there’s been over 410 refuge suspects involved in at least 60 various cases.
In Belgium, recent terrorists attacks have provoked paranoia among the local population. In the recent poll, over 44% of local residents confined that they are not feeling safe, while 36% stated that they were afraid to take the subway. Every fourth citizen of the country now fears to visit Brussels.
Experts say that stopping “lone wolves” has always been the hardest challenge a security agency may face. A string of attacks committed by such terrorists have recently shaken Israel. Now such “lone wolves” are showing their teeth in Europe.
A number of European countries are now facing the internal threat of those former militants that are returning from Iraq and Syria, where they shed blood in the name of ISIS. In late February, The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence that is situated in London provided the media community with the following numbers : a total of 800 Germans have joined the ranks of ISIS since the beginning of the Syrian conflict, a third of them have already returned home. The study of The Pew Research Center is showing that Europeans are afraid of the influx of refugees since it may lead to a new spike in the number of terrorist attacks.
Europeans cannot seem to agree on the migration policy that should be pursued by the EU. The existing one is being zealously defended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, even though this fact only increases the number of those who demand her to step down. This policy has already led to the UK leaving the European Union due to its blind adherence to Washington’s dictates.
The xenophobic moods in Europe are getting stronger as an ever increasing number of refugees reaches the EU, while every single terrorist attack polarizes the European society even further, strengthening the positions of right-wing populists.
European countries are forced to bear the ever-increasing costs, since they are now have to strengthen security measures, while accommodating an ever increasing number of refugees. As a matter of fact, they are now paying for those military that the United States launched in the Middle East. Washington’s blind desire to preserve its “hegemony” over the rest of the world through the use of deadly weapons has resulted in chaos, famine, mass migration, hundreds of thousands of people deceased all across Middle East and Africa. There’s no wonder that this steps are inciting hatred and the burning desire for vengeance that many victims of this aggression share.
While enjoying the merits of being an ocean away from the chaos it created, the United States has left its European allies with the consequences of American military adventures in Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and number of other countries.
Recently, Sir John Chilcot has released a report that took examined the reasoning behind the criminal invasion of Iraq by the US and UK. The UK Commission headed by Chilcot has as a matter of fact accused the British government of undermining the authority of the UN and carrying out the overthrow of a legitimate Iraqi government. And even though David Cameron urged the Parliament to punish those responsible for the invasion of Iraq, no actions have been taken so far.
It seems that Britain has so far evaded the destiny of its European neighbors due to the release of Chilcot’s report and the confession that its military aggression was indeed illegal. Without this fact it’s highly unlikely that British security services and the English channel would prevent terrorists from striking the UK.
So it seems that the rest of Europe would be better off recognizing the fact that armed aggression against Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and other Middle Eastern states was an act of criminal negligence and aggression. Will the sitting European politicians have courage to admit that fact and demand a fair international investigation of those events followed by the international tribunal that will held those behind these events accountable?
Or will they rather keep hiding behind the backs of American politicians, supporting Hillary Clinton who is knee deep in innocent blood, allowing the European population to pay for the sins of the criminal steps of the White House?
Martin Berger is a freelance journalist and geopolitical analyst, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook.”
http://journal-neo.org/2016/07/28/why-europe-is-paying-for-american-sins/