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Paris Terrorism Funerals Overwhelm Cemetery Where Jim Morrison Is Buried

PARIS — With 20 to 25 burials a day on average, the iconic Père Lachaise Cemetery is used to a steady pace of funerals — but these ceremonies are different. On Monday, the largest cemetery in Paris was partially closed for two hours to allow 19 employees to meet with a psychologist about the trauma […]

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Geopolitics Ideas

Five Reasons Why Iran Could Be Key To Defeating ISIS

Iranian foreign policy is still a major question mark, even as Western delegations stream through Tehran in the wake of a nuclear deal that promises an end to sanctions and international isolation. But there is no denying that Iran is a major regional power, which holds the real potential of becoming a working partner with […]

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Geopolitics Ideas Society

Dalai Lama: “We Must Dialogue With ISIS”

BANGALORE — Here in the Indian capital of global call centers, the Dalai Lama was the feature guest at the Arab-Asian Chamber of Commerce” Peace for Economy conference. In an interview with La Stampa on the sidelines of the conference, the highest authority of Tibetan Buddhism extended an olive branch to the West’s current Enemy […]

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Geopolitics Syria Crisis

Beyond Rhetoric, A Hard Look At Obama’s Anti-ISIS Strategy

As President Obama makes a weighty Oval Office address to the nation, a closer analysis of recent U.S. military and diplomatic efforts to defeat the Islamist terrorist enemy.

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LA Times: Latest Details On San Bernardino Killers

Police have identified a couple as the two shooters in the latest mass killing in the United States that left at least 14 people dead and 17 injured Wednesday, in the southern Californian city of San Bernardino. Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27, who relatives later confirmed were married and were the parents […]

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California Shooting, Pistorius Verdict, Ozzy Birthday

CALIFORNIA SHOOTING: 14 DEAD, COUPLE SUSPECTED Photo: David Bauman/Press-Enterprise/ZUMA Police have identified a couple in their late 20s as the two shooters in the latest mass killing in the United States that left at least 14 people dead and 17 injured Wednesday in the southern Californian city of San Bernardino. UK BEGINS SYRIA STRIKES Britain’s […]

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Geopolitics Terror in Europe

Jihadism As Nihilism, An X-Ray Of Homegrown Terror In France

-Analysis- France is at war! Perhaps. But at war against whom, or what? The Islamic State (ISIS) isn’t sending Syrians to commit attacks in France in order to dissuade the French government from bombing it. ISIS instead is tapping into a pool of young radicalized French who, whatever happens in the Middle East, are already […]

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UK Vote On Syria, NATO Expansion, Grohl v. Animal

UK TO VOTE ON SYRIA AIRSTRIKES Photo: Andrew Parsons/i-Images/ZUMA British Members of Parliament are set to vote on whether the United Kingdom will join the United States, France and Russia and several other countries in carrying out airstrikes in Syria and Iraq. The vote is expected late Wednesday after a long debate in the House […]

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German Anti-ISIS News, Europe’s Solar Power, Billboard Shaming

GERMAN CABINET BACKS ANTI-ISIS CAMPAIGN After agreeing last week to send 650 soldiers to Mali to support 1,500 French troops deployed to fight Islamist extremists, Germany could be about to launch a military campaign in Syria. The German cabinet voted today to send reconnaissance aircraft, a naval frigate and a 1,200-strong military force to the […]

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Syria Crisis Terror in Europe

How France Wields Soft Power To Combat Jihad At Home

Inside the de-radicalization program that began last year in France to undo the indoctrination that pushed young Muslims toward extremism.

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Kremlin Keeps Distance, France Honors Victims, Black Friday Advice

KREMLIN WON’T JOIN SINGLE ANTI-ISIS COALITION Photo: Dai Tianfang/Xinhua/ZUMA The Kremlin said today that Western nations were “not ready” to form a single coalition with Russia to defeat ISIS, AFP reports. The comments come one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with French President François Hollande at the end of a diplomatic blitz in […]

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Hollande And Putin, Pope Visits Kenya, Thanksgiving Trivia

HOLLANDE MEETS PUTIN IN MOSCOW French President François Hollande is set to meet Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin later today in Moscow in the hopes of forming an international military coalition against ISIS. Hollande has been engaged in a diplomatic blitz this week, having met with British Prime Minister David Cameron, U.S. President Barack Obama, German […]

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Iraq-Syria-Europe: On The Shifting Front Line Against ISIS

The Islamic State has been significantly weakened, at least from a military point of view, in Iraq and Syria. But the final blow keeps being postponed, even as jihadists strike in the heart of the West.

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Geopolitics

The Tunisia Paradox: Arab Spring Success, Terrorist Hotbed

Tunisia is the birthplace of the Arab Spring democratic uprising, and the only to have seen democracy survive. But it is both a source and victim of homegrown terrorists.

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Chilling Paris Revelations, Tunis Terror, Pope In Africa

TURKEY-RUSSIA TENSIONS REMAIN HIGH Photo: Russian Look/ZUMA “An unprecedented crisis,” warns Turkish daily Hürriyet on the front page of its Wednesday edition, a day after two Turkish jets shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border. Although the downing of the plane sparked fears of increased tension between the two nations, Turkey’s President Recep […]

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Brussels Lockdown Continues, Bye-Bye Kirchnerism, Jukebox Birthday

LOCKDOWN, MANHUNT CONTINUE IN BRUSSELS The terror threat In the Belgian capital of Brussels remains at its maximum level, with the city entering its third consecutive day under lockdown, Le Soir reports. Schools, universities and most public transportation are closed, as the police continue to hunt suspect Salah Abdeslam, believed to have participated in the […]

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Ideas Terror in Europe

Europe Under Siege, Welcome To The Rest Of The World

Bewildering technology and savage capitalism fuels desperation and hatred against the West. War was declared a long time ago, and the underdeveloped world are the primary victims.

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Terror in Europe

How To Defeat ISIS? Only A Global Coalition – And Ground Troops

NEW YORK — French President Francois Hollande pledged a “pitiless” war on ISIS after Friday’s Paris massacre. Russian President Vladimir Putin says his nation is focused on “finding and punishing the perpetrators” who downed a Russian passenger jet over Egypt. U.S. President Barack Obama says the goal is to “degrade and ultimately destroy this barbaric terrorist organization.” How? That’s the question none of these men seems willing to answer. Here’s one idea that, while not optimal militarily, might hedge the political risk: Form a broad alliance, akin to the one that pushed Saddam Hussein’s forces out of Kuwait in 1991, […]

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Geopolitics Ideas Terror in Europe

What To Do With The Emotions Of Paris? A Case For Rage

In the wake of wanton terror, psychology replaces practically everything, from social life to and information. Emotion is now political — and strategic.

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Society Terror in Europe

A “European Union Of Jihadists” — ISIS Has Its Own EU Army

-Analysis- PARIS — The Nov. 13 attacks that saw jihadists slaughter at least 129 people in Paris raise two crucial questions: Who ordered these attacks? And who carried them out? The answer to the first is ISIS, the so-called Islamic State that spreads terror, slaughters Muslims and non-Muslims, destroys treasured monuments inherited from centuries and […]

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Terror In Mali, EU Talks Tighter Borders, 13th Beatles Album?

JIHADISTS ATTACK MALI HOTEL Ten gunmen screaming “Allahu Akbar” (“God is greater”) stormed the luxurious Radisson Blu Hotel this morning in the Mali capital of Bamako, initially taking at least 140 guests and 30 staff members hostage, Reuters reports. Eighty hostages have since been freed, but citing an unnamed UN official, CNN reports that at […]

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Terror in Europe

French, World Magazine Covers One Week After Paris Attacks

PARIS — One week after the Paris terrorist attacks that killed at least 129, here are some of the magazine covers from France and other countries around the world: FRANCE “How to defeat ISIS” — L’Obs “Our war” — Le Point “To souls, citizens” A reference to the French national anthem “La Marseillaise“ — Courrier […]

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Eyes on the U.S. Geopolitics

Does Edward Snowden Have Paris Blood On His Hands?

WASHINGTON — In a pair of public appearances this week, CIA Director John O. Brennan made clear that he blames leaks by former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden for enabling terrorists to evade detection. “Because of a number of unauthorized disclosures, and a lot of hand-wringing over the government’s role in the effort to try to […]

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blog

Brussels Police Conduct Raids, French PM Warns Of Chemical Attack

BELGIAN POLICE RAIDS IN BRUSSELS Belgian police conducted a series of raids in Brussels today to find information related to one of the Paris suicide bombers and also arrested someone during a separate house search, Reuters reports. FRENCH PM WARNS OF POSSIBLE CHEMICAL ATTACK ISIS could attempt chemical attacks in France and other European countries, […]

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French Daily: ‘Face Of Terror’ Front Page

Libération, Nov. 19, 2015 “Abdelhamid Abaaoud, The Face Of Terror” writes French daily Libération on its Thursday front page, as French experts were trying to determine whether the suspected mastermind of the Nov. 13 Paris attacks was killed in a Wednesday police raid on a terrorist lair. At least two individuals were killed in the […]

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Ideas Terror in Europe

They Call Us “Generation Bataclan” – A Young French Reflection

Dismissed and wooed as so-called millennials, a young French generation supplied both the targets and perpetrators of the Paris attack. Simple answers are nowhere to be found, though maybe this label will stick.

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Terror in Europe

Muslims In France: How The Paris Attacks Could Backfire For ISIS

There are signs that the reaction to Friday’s massacre may unite the country, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, in a more lasting way than the Charlie Hebdo attacks did in January.

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Charlie Hebdo’s Front Page Toast After Latest Paris Attacks

Charlie Hebdo, Nov. 17, 2015 “They’ve got the guns. Screw them, we’ve got the Champagne!” reads Charlie Hebdo“s much-awaited cover four days after the latest terrorist attacks that killed at least 129 people in Paris on Nov. 13. The ever-provocative satirical weekly was targeted in the last round of Islamist attacks in Paris, when 12 […]

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Hollande’s Implicit Plea For U.S. And Russia To Work Together On ISIS

HOLLANDE: U.S. AND RUSSIA MUST COOPERATE During a joint parliamentary session at the Palace of Versailles Monday, French President François Hollande called on the United States and Russia to combine forces against ISIS after Friday’s terror attacks in Paris that left at least 129 dead. The speech, in which Hollande reiterated that France is at […]

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Geopolitics Terror in Europe

In Germany, Exploiting Paris Attacks To Link Refugees And Terrorism

Germany was already clashing over the country’s recent migrant crisis. Now, the nationalist PEGIDA group is playing with fire by using the Islamist terror attack to justify its extremist positions.

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Geopolitics Ideas Migrant Lives Terror in Europe

In Paris Aftermath, Rising Fears Across All Of Europe

PARIS — As investigators follow possible leads from Syria to Greece and Belgium, Friday’s deadly and meticulously coordinated assault in Paris was no doubt very much a European attack. Governments across the continent are busy taking measures to enhance security against a growing threat of similar coordinated terror assaults. FRANCE French authorities carried out anti-terror […]

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Paris Attackers Named, French MPs Gather, UNESCO’s Birthday

PARIS TERROR ATTACKERS NAMED As Paris continues to mourn its dead, five of the seven dead ISIS terrorists responsible for Friday night’s attacks have been identified, Twitter”>Le Figaro reports. Four of them were French citizens: Omar Ismaïl Mostefaï, 29, who blew himself up at the Bataclan concert venue, where close to 90 people were killed; […]

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Belgian Daily Highlights Brussels’ ‘Jihadist Hub’ After Paris Attacks

Le Soir, Nov. 16, 2015 “Brussels, Jihadist Hub,” writes Belgian daily Le Soir on its Monday front page, as details about a Belgian connection to the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris are starting to emerge. The suspected mastermind of the attacks that left at least 129 killed and 352 wounded is a 27-year-old Belgian […]

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Geopolitics Ideas Terror in Europe

From Raqqa To Paris: The Chilling Mutation Of ISIS’ Strategy

Once focused solely on gaining Middle East territory for its caliphate, the terror group is now targeting “crusader nations,” those fighting it in Syria and Iraq.

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Ideas Terror in Europe

Terror And Sang-Froid: France Is At War, Le Monde Editorial

-Editorial- PARIS — France is at war. At war against a terrorism that is totalitarian, blind and horribly murderous. We’ve known it since the attacks against Charlie Hebdo and the kosher supermarket in Paris in January. And yet, despite the French population’s exceptional show of unity four days after those attacks, despite the shows of […]

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Geopolitics Terror in Europe

Paris Terror, “Complex” Middle East-Style Assault Strikes The West

-Analysis- PARIS — In terms of terrorist attacks on French territory, this was unprecedented: multiple suicide bombers blowing themselves up late Friday, after launching coordinated massacres in five locations in central Paris and near the Stade de France football stadium on the outskirts of the capital in Saint Denis. The Paris targets included Bataclan, a […]

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Geopolitics Terror in Europe

Paris Attacks: 21 Front Pages From Around The World

A series of seemingly coordinated terror attacks left more than 120 people dead in Paris on Friday evening. In what has been described as the most deadly act of terrorism in French history, the attacks took place in seven locations, including shootings inside a concert hall and cafés in central Paris and a bombing outside […]

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Paris Terror: At Least 110 Dead In Series Of Attacks

Follow the latest news on the Paris attacks on French website France 24 PARIS — France declared a state of emergency and sealed its borders Friday evening after a series of apparently coordinated terrorist attacks struck at sites across Paris, leaving scenes of horror and carnage outside a soccer stadium, at a café and inside […]

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Geopolitics Ideas

Ecuador, How To Attack Democracy And Fly Below The Radar

Unlike Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa manages to keep his political crackdowns below the international radar.

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Geopolitics Syria Crisis

Lebanon, Quiet Metaphor Of The Middle East On The Brink

BEIRUT — An Italian diplomat once said that “the darkest corners of a crisis can be the most illuminating in understanding geopolitical dynamics.” This is where Lebanon finds itself: One of the few Middle Eastern countries that is not at war, yet one suffering in the trenches nonetheless. These days Lebanon is far from the […]

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