Terror threat

Paris Attacks: A Wake Up Call For Europe’s Security Theatre

The multiple breaches and deficiencies in European security structures exposed in the Paris attacks throw a light on the Union’s unpreparedness for the threats of the modern era.

The continent’s defences were designed in another time, for a completely different set of threats. Practices and applications are outdated and ineffective against the terrorist menace, experts warn. “We lack the most obvious tools to deal with this threat,” said Jean-Charles Brisard, chairman of the Paris-based Center for the Analysis of Terrorism. “We’re blind.”

Another large-scale attack on European soil seems unavoidable, with European security agencies helpless to prevent it. A senior European intelligence official said, on condition of anonymity: “We have to figure out what went wrong and fix it as soon as possible. Because one thing is for sure: Islamic State will try to hit Europe again.”