Last week's murderous terror attack in Nice did not come as a huge surprise. After all, the writing has been on every wall in Europe for ages. But the Europeans refuse to bend. Thanks to the European value code, which has consecrated the value of unlimited freedom since the end of World War II, a lone attacker was able to perpetrate a devastating attack without much effort. Just as in previous instances, this attack will elicit empty promises to wage all-out war against terrorism and several French fighter jets will strike Islamic State targets in Syria. But European tempers will soon calm -- until the next attack. The main culprit is the Islamic State group, which has inspired and orchestrated recent terror attacks in Europe, Turkey and other places across the globe. Destroying Islamic State will not necessarily eradicate terrorism, but it could dramatically diminish the motivation and the capability of those seeking to perpetrate such attacks. On the other hand, Islamic State is a relatively new phenomenon, having emerged only in the last decade. The group has taken advantage of the existing infrastructure in Europe and the fertile ground the continent provides to cultivate support and recruit volunteers for terrorist activity. It is entirely possible that even if Islamic State completely disappears, Islamist terrorism in Europe would continue under different labels and under the auspices of other organizations. The phenomenon of Islamist terrorism in Europe has been facilitated by the radicalization of young and restless Muslims who have lost all hope for a better life and have fallen under the spell of Muslim preachers and clerics in religious centers across the continent. These centers have been disseminating their teachings unfettered and unchecked. The phenomenon has also received a boost from new media, as well as Europe's leniency and willingness to show understanding and forgiveness toward terrorist attacks around the world, including Israel. Europe, and particularly France and Belgium, are currently facing an enormous challenge. In the long run, Europe needs to completely overhaul the way it deals with the issue of immigration, which is bringing the Middle East and its customs, values and politics into Europe. Immigrants need to understand that in order to settle in Europe, they must abandon the legacy of their countries of origin and embrace the values and culture of their new home. It is worth noting that Europe has also opened its borders to African immigrants, who hail from a profoundly poverty-stricken continent, where millions have died in famines and civil wars. The African immigrants could easily blame the West for their continent's ill fate, but the simple fact is that there is no ideology-driven African terrorism preaching a black man's holy war. In the short term, Europe must step up its efforts to thwart terror attacks and defend its citizens -- through legislation, investing more resources into combating terrorism and increasing security measures on the streets. Instead, Europe is sticking to its guns. The next terror attack is only a matter of time.
The perpetrators of these attacks have long been on European soil, entwined in its fabric of life, but at the same time highly motivated to execute terrorist attacks that, in practice, do not require any special training or any special weapons that would be difficult to obtain. The only natural conclusion is that the attack in Nice could have been prevented had Europe only accepted the fact that it is currently at war and acted accordingly. Europe should have defended itself and launched a counter-strike.
But it would also not have required much to stop him.
