Paris Terrorist Attacks: World War III, Refugees, And American Security

As the death toll from the terrorist attacks in Paris continues to climb, world leaders grapple with the tragedy and their response to the Islamic State in what many fear is the start to World War III.

France has invoked the never-before-used mutual defense clause of the European Union constitution, and some fear they may also invoke the NATO defense clause which could force America into a ground war with ISIS.

Any use of allied ground troops in the Middle East has the potential to bring them into armed conflict with Russian troops, which both sides want to avoid.

Although security officials say there is no credible threat against American cities, ISIS continues to release videos threatening future terrorist attacks. The first video threatened Washington, D.C. while the latest came Thursday with a threat leveled against New York City.

The NYPD reports they are working closely with the FBI and Homeland Security, according to the USA Today.

“While there is no current or specific threat to the city at this time, we will remain at a heightened state of vigilance.”

Syrian Refugees

Controversy continues to swirl about the thousands of Syrian refugees President Obama proposes to allow into the country. Earlier this week, 26 governors voiced their symbolic opposition to welcoming the refugees into their states.

The House passed a bill Thursday effectively pausing the admission of the Syrian refugees until they can undergo more thorough background checks. Many Democrats crossed the aisle to vote with their Republican counterparts despite a veto threat from Obama; the bill now moves to the Senate for approval.

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson voiced his support for the bill during a campaign stop in Mobile, Ala., Thursday as he compared the Syrian refugees to rabid dogs, according to On Politics.

“We have to have in place screening mechanisms that allow us to determine who the mad dogs are.”

US House votes to restrict entry of Syrian refugees following #ParisAttacks https://t.co/AVP1yJ7hHQ

— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) November 19, 2015

David Bowers, a Virginia mayor, also voiced his support for refusing the Syrian refugees’ entrance into the country in a statement where he compared them to Japanese-Americans detained at internment camps during WWII.

Star Trek actor George Takei, a victim of the interment camps himself, was incensed by the comment and took to Facebook to express his outrage, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

“The internment (not a ‘sequester’) was not of Japanese ‘foreign nationals,’ but of Japanese Americans, two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens. I was one of them, and my family and I spent 4 years in prison camps because we happened to look like the people who bombed Pearl Harbor. It is my life’s mission to never let such a thing happen again in America.”

Mastermind Killed

French police killed the mastermind behind the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, during a raid Wednesday night. Abaaoud reportedly used social media to recruit Spanish women to join ISIS.

French police say he was involved in at least four of the six terrorist attacks stopped by French forces since last year; he was also actively planning another terror attack to take place only days in the future.

Hasna Ait Boulahcen became Europe’s first female suicide bomber after she killed herself during the confrontation with French forces during the major police action, which ended with two dead and eight under arrest, according to CNN.

French Security Powers

The French parliament voted to approve expanded powers for the police and security authorities as part of a three-month extension to the country’s state of emergency. It must now pass the country’s Senate before it can become law.

The terrorist attacks in Paris, which took place Friday, claimed the lives of 129 people and injured 350 more. At least 195 remain hospitalized and several dozen are listed in critical condition.

French President François Hollande plans to travel to America and Russia to discuss the war with ISIS.

[Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images]