Europe: Increased security no longer effective when 'cheap' terrorism prevails

(Baonghean.vn) - Experts say that increasing security and deploying more law enforcement forces on the streets in Europe is no longer an effective way to protect people from the threat of terrorism.

Europe has suffered a series of terrorist attacks in recent years. Photo: AP

“We need to address political issues,” said Kader Abderrahim, an expert at the French Institute for International and Strategic Studies (IRIS). “We need to abandon the idea that deploying more police and military forces will solve the problem.”

Referring to the increased surveillance to prevent terrorist attacks in France, Mr. Jean-Vincent Brisset, a retired brigadier general of the French Air Force and a senior expert at IRIS, called the French military campaign deployed after the 2015 terrorist attacks a measure used by politicians to show people that something was being done to protect them while the threat was still there.

This expert said it was a “problem of democracy” when the ability of security forces to intervene in suspicious activities to prevent terrorist attacks was limited.

While the main suspect in the terrorist attack in the town of Cambrils in the Catalan region of Spain is still on the run, French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb announced that the country will increase security controls at the France-Spain border.

Expert Brisset believes that the opening of European borders is one of the reasons for the increase in terrorist attacks in European countries. Mr. Brisset emphasized:

“In European security there is always the same problem, which is laxity at the borders. But I don’t think that is the core of the problem. The problem lies in very different policies, and the lack of communication between European countries, and the lack of border closures.”

This expert believes that the reason Barcelona has become a terrorist target is because the city's authorities have been too lenient towards migrants, a part of the population from which terrorists are recruited.

According to expert Abderrahim, closing borders in today's globalized world is pointless, instead we should strengthen border control.

In addition, according to expert Abderrahim, to deal with terrorism, Europe needs to resolve conflicts in the Middle East and problems caused by Western involvement in Iraq since 2003 and in Libya in 2011.

“It is time to address the root causes of the problem, not its consequences. Only in this way can we come up with a decisive way to deal with terrorism. We need a real debate about diplomacy, about Western foreign policy in relation to the Arab world,” the expert stressed.

Increased security is no longer effective in preventing terrorism in Europe. Photo: Getty

For his part, expert Brisset commented that the proposal of French right-wing politician Marine Le Pen to deport all individuals who pose a serious threat to national security back to their country of origin is an option to prevent terrorism, but clearly this measure has significant disadvantages.

While some attacks may be avoided, he explained, this option will provoke those behind them to act more aggressively. However, Brisset said tough measures are needed to curb radicalization and prevent terrorism.

Mr. Abderrahim explained that the Islamic State (IS) organization is pursuing a strategy of globalizing violence by attacking anyone, including Shiite Muslims, Christians, the West, Russia, Iran and Europe.

“Cheap terrorism is clearly a trend,” he said. “As the military capabilities of ISIS have been increasingly limited in Iraq, Syria and Libya, more and more low-cost terrorist attacks have occurred, requiring nothing – just hiring a truck to drive into a crowd, causing dozens of casualties, and especially creating huge media resonance. That’s where (IS) gets its strength.”

However, Mr. Abderrahim said that the defeat of this terrorist group is only a matter of time./.

Lan Ha

(According to Sputnik)