Terrorist attacks in Paris
Today, the world turns its attention with shock at the attacks in France. Yesterday, November 13, 2015, Paris was victim of 6 separate terrorist attacks which took the lives of over 100 people.The total number of victims remains unclear with some sources reporting 120 deaths and others over 150.
As to who was responsible for the attacks it also remains unclear. Although yesterday’s attackers have been killed, searches are still looking for any possible accomplices. For this reason, there has been a reluctance to speculate as to who was responsible for the attacks. There are some, however, who believe Al Qaeda was responsible, while others believe it was ISIS. Regardless of who was responsible for the attacks, yesterday’s events will have a tremendous impact on power politics. These attacks showed a level of planning and sophistication not anticipated that question our perceptions.
France has been deeply involved with Syria and Iraq with the US coalition and has a difficult relation with many Muslim communities, which many believed is the reason why it became the target of the attack. Whether that is the case, it is hard to say due to the complexity behind the rational of these terrorists. It has been reported by witnesses that during the attacks, some of the terrorists were yelling ‘Allah akbar’ ‘God is greater’, which leads to believe these terrorist had at least partial extreme religious motives.
After the attacks, President Obama addressed the issue assuring France of the American support and the American willingness to provide assistance for a response to what he called “an attack against humanity”. In his speech, he referred to France as our oldest ally, which brought flashbacks to grade school history classes when we learned about the 1783 Treaty of Paris and made me remember how for a long time, every time I heard of Paris I thought of peace and freedom due to this association. Today, I watched in disbelief the images in the news reports and cannot help to be shocked that this is the same city affected by terror. Identities and perception can truly change in an instant. As the investigation of what occurred yesterday unfolds, we will find what changes this will bring to international relations as this attack was not viewed as only an attack to France or its people, but also the values it shares with many other countries.
The following link shows a map and a brief description of some of the attacks reported: