Bastille Day 2016

Massacre On The Promenade des Anglais:

'Congress Should Declare War'
 (Donald Trump)

[Je Suis......ISIL]

In what I regard as only too typical of Islamc State-inspired evil, yet another despicable act of inhumanity has been committed - purportedly in the name of Islam, in Nice, on Bastille Day.

To capture the political moment, a most incredibly naive statement has been made by the (presumptive) Republican Candidate for the U.S. Presidency in the fall, Donald Trump:
''Congress Should Declare War''

''Je Suis ........''

You simply cannot declare war on non-state actors - international terrorists - who operate globally with no central HQ and where the command structure is so diversified that any (temporarily or chronically) deranged person, with any grudge against society, a local community, set of individuals or individual, and on such premise, in the name of Islam under the banner of ''Je Suis ISIL'' (on this occasion) declares war on his/her next door neighbors, jumps over the garden fence and machine-guns everyone at a childrens' garden party.  [I am being blunt in the most extreme to clarify the message loud and clear.]
However expect such naive statements to appear over the coming days, weeks and months as the sheer exasperation of how to respond becomes evident from politicians - and those seeking political offices - wallowing in the blood and on the backs of human tragedy to serve their very own ultimate political goals.
This is the unfortunate naked truth we are facing - but don't expect the politicians to ever tell you that truth.

Is There Any Solution?

Increased Vigilance
The short-term solutions are increasing vigilance - but certainly not mass 'stop and searches' or 'mass incarcerations' of Muslims - this would be playing into the hands of a very evil entity which would like to move the world into the ISIS-philosophical state of all-out-war:Islam v the Infidels, worldwide.

Destruction of The State-Inspired Backer-The Islamic State or Caliphate
President Obama had not got the motivation to do it - he confused the destruction of the Islamic Caliphate with the destruction of Assad's Syria for ulterior political reasons.   President Putin, likewise for political reasons, stopped short of 'finishing off' the Islamic State - and  whose efforts were not helped by the U.S. (Obama Administration) openly refusing military cooperation with Russia - point blank - for this one critical mission.

Regulation Of Mosques and Islamic Centers
For years I have been looked at with some scepticism when I would say that more (proactive) efforts need to have been made to address the issue of how Al Qaeda/ Islamic State supporters have, even since before 9/11 'infiltrated' perfectly decent organizations and may be (silently) using them to 'promote' 'Islamic' agendas.  The 'appearance' of Al Qaeda and subsequently ISIL were merely a consolidation of a 'thought process' of a very small extremist intelligensia within the Muslim religion. This is an issue completely off the radar screens of politicians (dare I say, some as as ignorant as 'fatboy' Boris - see my earlier blog where former London Mayor Johnson racially slurred President Obama during his visit to the United Kingdom to wish Her Majesty, The Queen of England, a happy 90th birthday) - since they fail to appreciate that such events are not 'instant' but part of more longer term processes which have backgrounds stretching over decades of discussion and debate - facilitated by modern technology.
(Johnsons' jealousy of Donald Trump's successes, as a businessman, is also evident in his disparaging comments about the Republican Party's  candidate for the presidency.)

Increased Security
Certainly this is always possible for certain sites but, as we all know, you cannot offer protection for absolutely every institution, school, restaurant, shopping mall or other local community resource worldwide.
So Donald Trump's idea of a 'declaration of war' is simply not feasible for a non-state actor or entities which operate on the basis of sub-contracting and exhorting followers and individuals worldwide to kill or neutralize 'the Infidel' by any and every means available.
Even tomorrow should the Islamic Caliphate be eliminated as a functioning state, its 'supporters' (those who share the philosophical ideals of the 'perfect' Islamic world) will continue to exist and it may take just a very small event to 'trigger' an act which would be defined as 'terrorist' - thereby providing every opportunistic politician with the excuse for increasing totalitarian measures - be they fiscal ('fishing expeditions') restrictive of civil liberties, emergency anti-terrorist measures,all designed to 'consolidate' the power of the State in opposition to civil liberties.
So the 'bogeyman' of ISIL will exist long after a political decision is (some day) taken (and implemented) to eliminate the entity (Caliphate) as it has existed for two years, simply because it provides politicians with 'expedient' opportunities to effect the policies and technologies of political and social controls in every country throughout the world.
Sadly such exhortations will resonate  positively with very angry, confused and (some) bigoted voters in the U.S. Presidential election in the Fall - anxious as they all will be for 'instant' problem solvers for what are complex and long-term problems.
ISIL is fully aware of this - which is why the Islamic State would 'welcome' the election of a President Donald Trump - as his bigoted thinking is totally in line with the demarcation and hatred they would desire to create - hastening the day of the ultimate conflict where Islam and Christianity are finally at war across this planet - and  the 'Angels' of Islam will achieve a victorious battle against the Infidel (Satan)  before the final 'Kingdom' of Allah - as 'prophesized' in their versions (and mistranslations) of  Koranic scripture can be built worldwide, after the Devil (Satan - the Infidel-) and all it's structures of idolatry have been destroyed and erased from existence.
As they perceive the world, a President Donald Trump, by his nature and character, would, by his actions, more assist to bring this day closer than any other U.S. presidential candidate.

The fact of the matter is that such problems have no instant solutions - but do not expect Donald Trump to tell you that - since his appeal is to 'gut instinct', bigotry, divisive and insular communities rather than what is best for the nation, as a whole.

Our sympathies go out to the victims and families of such terrible (and quite evil - by most known standards of  insurgency) events as those occurring on the Promenade des Anglais, Nice, on  Bastille Day, the most espoused political day of the French social calendar, we must never lose sight of our humanity nor efforts to solve the core political and human rights issues which provide part of the motivations and background for such fanatics to draw support from,worldwide.
(I would add that support can come from committed religious as well as non-religious individuals and groups, all drawn together under the banner or slogan of ISIL - or it's future 'morphed' entity - as much out of local, national or international 'grievances'.)

'Off the Radar'
While increased vigilance and common sense should always be the order of the day, there is no total defense nor solutions against mental illness - nor a lone individual, group or non-state actors nor insurgents espousing  causes, however demented or deranged, which will produce carnage and horrors, neither now nor in the future.


Patrick Emek, July 2016