THE STATE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

THE STATE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

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being realistic, acknowledging that the goal is

to reduce it to a level that is tolerable for our

societies. Instead of frightening the population,

cultivating a culture of fear that paralyses us

and keeps us quiet while fundamental rights and

freedoms that define us as open societies are

cut, it would be a good idea to devote more ef-

fort to devising strategies that are not limited to

mobilising military resources against an enemy

that it is impossible to defeat by those means.

An exercise of this type should consider it

necessary to simultaneously address the most

visible effects of the problem –thwarting terror-

ist plans where possible and pursuing, arresting

and trying those who perpetrate this kind of ac-

tion, if the former is not possible - and its struc-

tural causes– focused on the radicalisation of

individuals who, for multiple reasons, feel dis-

criminated in their communities of reference.

On the first level of response it seems clear that

the leading roles should go to the police and

intelligence services, as well as the economic

authorities (to short-circuit the channels that

they use to fund their criminal activity) and the

courts (to ensure effective and common treat-

ment of the problem). All this should rest on a

foundation of close international coordination,

since we are facing a common threat. The

armed forces can play only a supporting role

here, complementing security tasks in the ser-

vice of the global fight against terrorism.

On the second level, which should address

the structural causes that fuel terrorism, it is

clear that military means have virtually nothing

to contribute. The fundamental issue in this

case is to take a preventive approach, geared to

averting the radicalisation of individuals who for

various reasons are tempted to enlist in violent

jihadism. Instead, what takes a prominent role

at this stage is, from a domestic viewpoint, the

appliance of a sustained effort that places the

emphasis on the educational field and moves

physical and human resources in the social, po-

litical and economic fields to ensure the full in-

tegration of all those who make up each na-

tional community. That means developing a

preventive approach that encourages policies

geared towards narrowing the gaps of inequal-

ity to acceptable levels, reinforcing the frame-

work of rights and freedoms for all its members,

without exclusion. We are talking about the

need to reinforce inclusive education systems

and promoting media that are determined to

stop the spread of xenophobia and racism, but

also about policies focused on ensuring true

equal opportunities.

On the foreign front, the list of tasks is

equally long. While it is by no means exhaustive,

it includes:

– Demanding of ourselves greater consistency

between the values and principles that we

say we uphold and the type of relations we

maintain with Arab Muslim governments

that are hardly sensitive to the demands of

their own populations (Saudi Arabia stands

out in this respect as the most striking case).

Trapped over the last few decades in a mind-

set in which the stability of our neighbours

has taken precedence over all other consid-

erations, our governments do not appear

willing to offer their decisive support to the

citizens’ movements of our neighbours, in

fear of encountering undesirable interlocu-

tors who may jeopardise our energy security.

This is one of the main reasons behind the

anti-Western feeling present in broad circles

of opinion in those countries.

– Making a more determined contribution to

eliminating the international double stand-

ard that has been applied for too long when

it comes to judging the conduct of certain

countries (a prominent example being Israel