Small Wars Journal

NATO’s Turn to Attack

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Sat, 11/14/2015 - 1:38pm

NATO’s Turn to Attack by James Stavridis, Foreign Policy

On the morning after France’s long night of terror, the language of war has been impossible to avoid. President François Hollande declared the attacks on Paris “an act of war that was waged by a terrorist army, a jihadist army, by Daesh [the Islamic State], against France.” The Islamic State has hailed the “blessed” operation of its “soldiers” and has vowed continued attacks. Pope Francis has described the current state of events as “a piece” of a piecemeal Third World War.

The weather in Paris today is grim and gray, a reflection of the city’s somber mood. But as the French government prepares for a possible military response, France’s military allies — including the United States — would be wise to do the same. Paris would be within its rights to expect NATO to play a meaningful role in organizing a significant military response to the attacks…

Read on.

Comments

Vicrasta

Sun, 11/15/2015 - 5:32am

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Azor,

I think you make some valid points which inevitably bring us back to the Article 5 discussion, although we only have one real example of invocation and we all know how that went/is going...

Well, in that case can France expect NATO soldiers and helicopters to storm its ghettos to root out "homegrown terrorism"?

While the Islamic State has more form than Al-Qaeda, it will exist as a transnational cause even if it suffers conventional defeat.

Europe has set itself up for another Thirty Years War - this time, with its Muslim population. No amount of expeditions "over there" can alter the reality facing Europeans at home.

Incidentally, can Estonia expect French help if the Russians invade? Can the US expect French help if the Chinese strike their carriers in the Pacific?