Combating Islamo-Nihilism
The gratuitousness of the November 13 attacks in Paris is what sets them apart. Unlike the Charlie Hebdo murders, these attacks had no clear symbolic meaning. They were not carried out against the media, or the Jewish community, or the government. The targets in this case were unremarkable, and it is no doubt for this reason that they were chosen. The terrorists wanted to prove that they can strike wherever and whenever they see fit, while invading the ordinary lives of ordinary people. This banality prevents the authorities from protecting anything that may have tangible value: every French person has become a target, and frightening everyone was of course the intention.
Read the article “Combating Islamo-Nihilism” on city-journal.org.