The most important question thrown up by the November 13 terror attacks in Paris and alert and crackdowns in Brussels and elsewhere in Belgium is: What can Europe do to protect itselfIJ It is critically important to ask this as the danger of such attacks being repeated with increasing frequency will remain as long as the Islamic State exists. For, not only will it continue attempting these, but its influence among Europe's alienated Muslim youth will grow as long as it is seen as shaping the future by defeating the West. Marginalised people without a sense of belonging and meaningful identity seek to attain both by joining organisations which give them a sense of belonging and security and the proud identity of belonging to a mighty force. As in the case of Nazi Germany, it is only total military defeat that will deprive the Islamic State of its appeal.
To begin with, European countries must implement long overdue measures. France's Finance Minister, Mr Michel Sapin, has said that his country would restrict the use of prepaid bank cards, which could be used anonymously under certain thresholds — which the November 13 attackers had done. French authorities, combating money-laundering and terror financing, he has further said, would be given direct access to the police database of wanted or suspected individuals, and the Government would legislate to enhance the power of the authorities to freeze the financial assets, and seize vehicles and real estate holdings, of suspected terrorists.
Belgium must ensure that the divide between people speaking Flemish and French respectively, does not impede the fight against terrorism and also that Brussels overcomes its serious problem of fragmented jurisdiction. It has six separate police departments and 19 municipalities — each with its own Mayor — which are normally not inclined to communicate with one another and share information.
Intelligence gathering has to be improved technologically, particularly given the availability of sophisticated message encryption technology in instant messaging services like WhatsApp and IMessage. This needs to be especially emphasised as the Paris terrorists are believed to have resorted to encrypted communication. The attacks on the office of the satirical daily, Charlie Hebdo, and a Jewish kosher supermarket in Paris in January, this year, had prompted France to strengthen and modernise laws governing electronic surveillance. The November 13 outrage, however, suggests that that these are either inadequate or the infrastructure for their application has yet to be fully operationalised. Besides, it is not enough for France alone to sharpen its laws and systems; other European countries have to do the same.
More, there has to be an adequate pan-European sharing of intelligence, which has not been happening so far. At an emergency meeting of Europe's interior and justice ministers on November 20, to discuss security, the French Interior Minister, Mr Bernard Cazeneuve, had stated sharply that it was a non-European country that had informed France about the return of the ring leader of the November 13 attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, from Syria.
The November 20 meeting yielded, for the first time, a resolve to establish a system for sharing passport data of air travelers within the Schengen area. Also the passport of a Schengen passport holder travelling to a country outside the Schengen area, will be not just examined but checked against criminal and security databases on return. The meeting further agreed on the establishment of a single gun control registration file for the European Union. All this marks some progress, but not enough. European countries must make their gun control laws uniformly stringent. Belgium's, for instance, are far less strict than France's.
Finally, Europe has to deal with those returning after fighting for the Islamic State. They have to be apprehended, rigorously screened and released only in such cases where their disenchantment with the cause they went to serve is beyond doubt.