The Libyan crisis has been going on, in changing shape and form, since 2011, beginning with the uprising against the country's long-time dictator, Muammar Gaddafi. It did not end with Gaddafi's ouster, but smouldered on as old divisions, which the Gaddafi regime had perpetuated over time, came to the fore and various factions battled each other out. The lawlessness permitted another movement to take root. Islamist groups, attracted by the success of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (IS), quickly chose to affiliate and become a "franchise" of the deadly Middle Eastern outfit.

The Libyan Islamists have been active for a while, being behind a high-profile attack in 2012 on a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, when the American ambassador and an official were killed. But nothing attracted more international attention than last month's attack on the Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli, which left nine people dead. These are not the only Islamists active in North Africa, only their brethren in countries like Egypt and Algeria have to content with states that are still offering a modicum of security.

A Maltese response

Way back in 2011, there was media speculating on a "missile" which is supposed to have exploded close to Malta. There was no debris of any sort and indications pointed to an aircraft's sonic boom (highly likely, given the NATO sorties over Libya at the time). But, quoting the suspiciously anonymous "sources close to Castille", the "story" assumed a surprising longevity, despite there being no grounds to believe it.

Risks are an altogether different matter to story. Everyone was taken aback when last June, despite the Iraqi army being well-equipped and well-trained by Americans, IS still managed to overrun Mosul, seemingly with very little effort. Despite aerial support, it took quite some time to break the siege of Mount Sinjar, refuge of the Yazidi community and the Kurdish enclave of Kobane. The risks we face are of an altogether different kind and magnitude. But still, they are there and we should be prepared for all eventualities.

Being vigilant

Preparation in cases like these requires not only that a government handles logistics well, but that it manages the national mood well. It is doing nothing of the sort at the moment. While the Armed Forces were going about recruiting new people, issuing more ammunition and increasing shifts, Minister Carmelo Abela was trying, vainly, to reassure everyone that it was business as usual. The right call would have been to go public and assure everyone that these are precautions being taken despite there being no specific threat and to pre-empt any possibility of public panic.

But no, taking initiative is not what the Maltese Government does. Instead, it adds credibility to the old adage: don't believe anything until the Government denies it. If Government is ready to protect us from the risks of the terror that is raging on our doorstep, it has already lost its first PR battle. Much credibility has already been lost.

Rethinking neutrality

This should also be the opportunity to revisit our neutrality and take our national security a little bit more seriously. For thirty-five years we assumed that expressing our goodwill would be enough to keep us safe, if not make us international peacemakers. We thought that what was outdated about our neutrality was the reference to "the two superpowers". No terrorist ever gave up on his calling based on whatever lofty ideals a Constitution might express.

What have our political parties bequeathed in terms of defence? Labour negotiated an agreement with Italy to "safeguard" our neutrality and placed on it the onerous obligation of raising any transgression against Maltese turf in the United Nations Security Council. That is the Italian "guarantee" we have and which we have been hearing about for three decades, without ever being told what it consists of.

On the other hand, EU membership means that we are now full participants in the Common Foreign and Security Policy. With other EU Member States, we co-ordinate all aspects of defence. This is not just "classic" military organisation, but also includes responses to more recent threats, from cybersecurity to counter-terrorism. That, in fact, is the right attitude. Keep calm and carry on, but take all the necessary precautions.

Clyde Puli is the Opposition's Spokesperson for Citizens' Rights, Civil Rights, Equality, Social Dialogue, Consumers' Rights, Internet Rights, Communications, Broadcasting and Audio-Visual Policy