So the predictable has happened again. Over 120 citizens were massacred in Paris as they went about their daily life. This happened in an environment that, admittedly, is difficult to protect under normal circumstances, let alone under abnormal ones. Extremist Islamist soldier terrorists, as promised, have again delivered terror to western, liberal Christian Europe. As European citizens struggle, once more, to pick up the pieces we hear the usual rhetoric from the collective European leadership. We hear expressions of grief on the atrocities, we hear the standard determined declarations of defiance; we hear a promise of retribution and exhortations to citizens not to give in to fear. We have seen and heard it all before and we already know that it will happen again, since the level of vulnerability of our cities against evil and suicidal Islamist terrorists is very high.

High as the threat is, we again get the eerie feeling that our leaders will come up with another less than effective reaction, avoiding decisions on obvious defensive measures since such measures do not please our minority, politically correct, dominating class.  What are these obvious measures that cry out to be introduced and implemented?

The borders of the EU have been, and still are, porous. There is no serious intent to invest in effective policing and control to guarantee EU territorial integrity. The administration of Schengen is as strong and as weak as the efforts of each individual country. It is about time that Schengen is suspended as it is promoting insecurity. Individual EU members are much better suited to manage their own borders. Investment needs to be made in personnel and equipment to police the sea and land borders in a credible manner. How can a country, let alone a continent, secure itself without a decent army and a navy and a will to utilize them? Why have we seen a consistent effort by an ideologically motivated faction to de-legitimize military and naval spending in Europe to the detriment of the safety of citizens? Is it acceptable that thousands of illegal immigrants have been let loose in the EU via Italy without so much as an identification and registration? This was done to avoid abiding by the ambiguous EU regulation which obliges the country where the illegal immigrants land to keep and integrate them.

This month, an immigrant, who was pointed out by fellow boat travellers as a human trafficker but who maintained he was a refugee, turned out to be a terrorist who had spent four years in an Italian jail for terrorist offences. After expulsion it seems he felt safe enough to return. Only now do the politically correct tolerate the statement that, yes, there might be terrorists hiding among illegal immigrants! 

Threatened and attacked as we are, does it make sense to avoid giving more powers to our military and police to meet and defeat this terrorist danger? We now learn that one of the Paris attackers was known to the police to have terrorist inclinations. Yet the police could only classify him as a person to keep tabs on, when it is admitted that there are not enough resources to keep track of all who are so classified. The politically correct argue that such classified citizens have a right not to be "molested" because of a "trivial" suspicion! How about more powers to detain, impose individual curfews, individual daily reporting, electronic tracking armbands, phone tapping and expulsion?  To the politically correct that see such measures as threats to civil liberties, I suggest they attend the over 120 funerals this week and console the victims' families by telling them that the civil liberties of citizens and their dead relatives were and will remain protected; it is only lives that are not.

It is a fact that Europe, and much more America, through misguided policies and interventions brought destabilization to selected Middle East countries. A destabilization that has brought death to about 250,000 people in Syria and misery to the rest of the Middle East.

Hiding the promotion of selfish vested interests, half-baked concepts of European democracy are shamefully imposed on particular countries and not on others. Unless it is deliberate devious policy, I despair of the irresponsible stupidity of European and American Middle East policies. How legitimate and intelligent is it to disown and destabilize Libya, Syria and Egypt because they are not shrines of "democracy" like Saudi, Kuwait and the Emirates? Democracy is not exportable; what is America guaranteeing post-Assad Syria? Another heaven on earth like Iraq or Libya? Once a pacification of sorts is achieved let us say "hands off the Middle East!" Stop heaping suffering on these people; let them find their own equilibrium.

Over 120 EU funerals now need to be seen to, but let us not forget and ignore so many thousands more funerals in the Middle East.  Equitable and effective policies are needed to tackle anarchy in the Middle East that has created the problem of refugees and illegal immigrants.

Is Europe up to it? I wish it were but I have serious doubts. The past and current crop of European leaders leaves a lot to be desired. Not always, but often, the EU Commission collective leadership is made up of individuals who have had their national "use by" date expire. Others, for some reason or another, would have been conveniently distanced from their home country. This kind of selection does not guarantee a brilliant administration of the EU.

EU citizens are experiencing a serious and ever-widening trust and credibility deficit towards their leaders. A lack of competence is often perceived when tacky and ineffectual solutions to problems are put forward by Brussels. For example, the recent decision on the immigrant quota sharing between EU members seems to have a fundamental flaw. Have these leaders considered what happens once 300 immigrants that are assigned to Malta decide to exercise freedom of movement and "emigrate" to Germany? 

Meantime, this week we will bury our fallen and it is hoped that the amount of sadness and sorrow is matched by an equal amount of common sense, determination and willingness to really start putting forward a holistic solution to this international crisis. A crisis that brings with it a huge unbearable human cost. An appalling cost that is being paid by Europe and the Middle East.

Arthur Muscat

Floriana