France retaliates against ISIL in Syria, cracks down at home
French fighter jets have struck the ISIL capital of Raqqa in eastern Syria. The US and other powers have been reluctant to bomb the city for fear of high civilian casualties. The strikes likely had limited military success, but it was done chiefly to fulfill the need to strike back. France has also responded with domestic security sweeps, seeking one of remanning terrorists. Such sweeps may have the adverse effect of angering Muslims who then become else willing to provide intelligence.
Belgian center of European militancy
Belgium, a seemingly placid buffer state between France and Germany, is a hotbed of islamist radicalism. Radical mulls preach a fiery message. Weapons from the Balkan conflicts of the nineties circulate in a black market. Political divisions between the two main ethnic groups of Belgium, Flems and Wallons, prevents concerted efforts to counter the problem.
The Houthis, a northern Shia group, have been driven back from Aden and taken positions around Taiz. Southern Sunnis, backed by Saudi Arabia and other Sunni states, are seeking to take Taiz before driving on the capital Sanaa to the north. The Sunnis have Saudi airpower, the Houthis have better troops.
Not being an expert in political, military, law enforcement, or security matters makes me loath to offer opinions on such. Stating the obvious: the bad guys (unnamed in this piece and may well be the same group that orchestrated the nefarious Charlie Hebdo attack), by killing well over 100 people and wounding hundreds more, did apparently succeed in provoking France and the entire world.
Was it a good idea? Certainly not, but investigating the motivations of the violently insane is not motivating to me personally.
But is France’s immediate response (airstrikes began yesterday) a good idea?
Probably, in my opinion. It is indeed a natural response.
France and the other parts of the rational world may be acting normally in the face of this asymmetric warfare.
Jim Jones
Translator, editor, writer, cartoonist, and Mandarin expert, Jim Jones is a freelancer. Linguistics, Mandarin, and Technical Writing and Communication expertise.