Paris attack aftermath: talk turns to war

Paris attack aftermath: talk turns to war


As France continues to count its dead and wounded and the world comes to terms the scope of the coordinated attacks on Paris, talk has turned to war.
Speaking from the Elysee Palace just hours after the attack, French President Francois Hollande described the attack as "act of war that was prepared, organised and planned from abroad".

A woman is evacuated from the Bataclan theatre after the attack. Photo: AP
His language was echoed by the Pope, who described the attack as part of a third world war.
In the United States there have been calls to invoke Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which contains the principle of the collective self-defence of the member states.
"The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognised by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked," it reads.

State of emergency: Francois Hollande declares the closing of France's borders. Photo: AP
Writing for the journal Foreign Policy, the retired four-star US Navy admiral and NATO supreme allied commander James Stavridis said Article 5 should be invoked and that the Allied Joint Force Command in Naples, Italy, which directed the air war against the ousted Libyan regime ,should direct operations against IS.
"There is a time for soft power and playing the long game in the Middle East, but there is also a time for the ruthless application of hard power. It is NATO's responsibility to recognise our current moment qualifies as the latter to direct massive operations against IS in Syria and Iraq," he wrote.
At least one of the Republican Party's presidential contenders, John Kasich, has echoed his call.
"Today, NATO should invoke Article 5 of our NATO agreement, which basically says an attack on an ally is an attack on us and an attack on all of the Western world," the Ohio governor said in a campaign stop in Florida. "We as Americans must assert leadership and we need to stand shoulder to shoulder with France and the French people. This is a moment to bring us together."
The three Democratic presidential candidates addressed the issue in their second debate on Saturday night, which began with a moment's silence to those killed in the attacks.
Their answers to questions about how they would tackle the threat from IS suggested they were aware that the thought of a new war remains deeply unpopular in America, particularly among Democratic voters.
Distancing herself slightly from President Barack Obama, the party's frontrunner, Hillary Clinton, said that IS could not be contained and must be defeated, and that it could not be done by America alone.
"I don't think that the United States has the bulk of the responsibility," she said. "This cannot be an American fight, although American leadership is essential."
Her rival, Senator Bernie Sanders, suggested Mrs Clinton bore some responsibility for chaos in the region because of her support for the invasion of Iraq, which she conceded was a mistake.

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