https://lobelog.com/the-islamic-state-the-west-and-21st-century-war/#more-31952

The Islamic State, the West, and 21st-Century War

by James A. Russell
The collective outrage and sorrow in the West surrounding the tragic terrorist attacks in Paris tell us many things, but nothing we didn’t already know about the Islamic State (ISIS or IS) and its followers. More interesting is what the reactions in the West tell us about ourselves and our misguided conceptions of 21^st-century war against our Islamic extremist adversaries.
The only surprising thing about the IS attack in Paris is that we were in any way surprised by it. Bodies litter the landscape in the wake of IS stretching from the towns, villages, and cities of Iraq and Syria to Libya, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and the deserts of Egypt with the downed Russian airplane.
The Paris attacks could have happened in any of the major Western cities, including the United States. IS seeks a social and political revolution and, like many groups before it, is prepared to use all means at its disposal to achieve its ends.
But we already knew this.https://lobelog.com/the-islamic-state-the-west-and-21st-century-war/#more-31952