After Paris: Is the “War on Terror” Feeding Terror?

ABC News reports: “French President Francois Hollande is blaming ISIS for a series of attacks across Paris Friday night that left at least 127 dead and many more injured. Hollande called the attacks ‘an act of war’ in a speech Saturday morning local time, and said France ‘will be merciless’ against the ‘barbarians of the Islamic State group.'”

In response:

NAFEEZ AHMED
An independent investigative reporter, Ahmed is a columnist with Middle East Eye. His books include A User’s Guide to the Crisis of Civilization. He will be attending the “Vigil in Solidarity with the People of Paris” tonight in London, organized by the Christian Muslim Forum.

Earlier this year, he wrote the piece “No Piers Morgan. This is how to destroy the Islamic State,” which states: “Uncontrollable rage and ritual denunciations are not going to defeat IS. To defeat IS, we need to recognize that this Frankenstein’s monster is neither simply a fault of ‘the West,’ nor of ‘the Muslims.’ It is a co-creation of the Western and Muslim worlds, specifically of Western and Muslim ‘security’ agencies who have lost all moral compass in the pursuit of geopolitical prowess, self-aggrandizement and corporate profiteering. Citizens of all faiths and none must stand together in solidarity to reject the violence perpetrated in our name on all sides.”

BARRY LANDO
    Lando, who lives in London and Paris, is a former producer with “60 Minutes.” His books include Web of Deceit about the history of Iraq. He has written for numerous publications including the International Herald Tribune, Salon, Counterpunch and Truthdig. He just wrote the piece “France is on the Verge of … What?” which states: “‘Is France Ripe for an Authoritarian Regime?‘ What is remarkable about that op-ed piece in the conservative Le Figaro newspaper, is that it was written not in the wake of today’s horrific terrorist attacks in Paris — but the day before. As I write, it is still unclear how many have been killed in the French capital — the reported total has reached at least 140 — but there is no question that the massacre could have a devastating impact on France’s already very shaky democratic institutions.” Lando lived in France for nearly 40 years and his wife is French.

VIJAY PRASHAD
    Prashad is professor of international studies at Trinity College in Connecticut. He was just on The Real News just before the Paris attacks talking about the recent *Beirut and Baghdad attacks: “Is the ISIS Bombing in Beirut a Product of U.S. Policy in the Region?”

* TP Editor’s note-readers in Japan report they have not seen a single article about either attack. In any case, there has been proportionally very little said  about these other attacks.

On Twitter, he just listed “six terror lessons for Hollande,” which are being widely distributed on social media in graphic form:

“1. Grieve for those who have been killed. #terrorlessons no. 1.
2. Find out who did the killing through a forensic police inquiry. Bring them to justice. #terrorlessons no. 2.
3. Try to get to the root of the issue, to what provoked the inhumanity. #terrorlessons no. 3.
4. Erase the conditions of provocation. #terrorlessons no. 4.
5. Do not replicate provocation. #terrorlessons no. 5.
6. If you replicate the provocation (The Bush Strategy), the cycle of violence shall continue. #terrorlessons no. 6.”

PAUL GOTTINGER
    Gottinger is an independent journalist. He recently wrote an analysis of the”war on terror”: “Despite 14 Years of the U.S. War on Terror, Terror Attacks Have Skyrocketed Since 9/11,” which states: “Terror attacks have jumped by a stunning 6,500 percent since 2002, according to a new analysis by Reader Supported News. The number of casualties resulting from terror attacks has increased by 4,500 percent over this same time period. These colossal upsurges in terror took place despite a decade-long, worldwide effort to fight terrorism that has been led by the United States.

“The analysis, conducted with figures provided by the U.S. State Department, also shows that from 2007 to 2011 almost half of all the world’s terror took place in Iraq or Afghanistan — two countries being occupied by the U.S. at the time.

“Countries experiencing U.S. military interventions continue to be subjected to high numbers of terror attacks, according to the data. In 2014, 74 percent of all terror-related casualties occurred in Iraq, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Syria. Of these five, only Nigeria did not experience either U.S. air strikes or a military occupation in that year.

“The U.S. invasion of Iraq destabilized Iraq and Syria, creating the conditions for the emergence of ISIS, which now controls large parts of the two countries. The invasion of Afghanistan has not been able to wrestle large sections of the country from the Taliban, leaving Afghanistan in state of perpetual war. And the air war to oust Muammar Gaddafi has left Libya in a state of chaos.

“The instability caused by these wars, along with the atrocities perpetrated by U.S.-led forces, which can be exploited for terrorist recruitment, have played a significant role in the increase of terrorism worldwide.”