Tag: Europe

The French left abandons its peaceful ways for the needs of realpolitik and hard choices that accompany the fight against terrorism; keeping in line with the European point of view that such business is not for the public eye. -Vasilis Chronopoulos     “We are at war, we must protect the French people,” said former prime minister Manuel Valls at the first […]

Concerns are raised in Germany about the safety of the cyber infrastructure, as election day comes closer. Vasilis Chronopoulos “You can crack everything,” says Sandro Gaycken, a security consultant for government institutions and businesses. “Above all, the hardware and software used by German parties is not as well-protected as the high-security CIA computers.” As the […]

Among  the new measures that will be implemented by the Germans, is a tougher stance on asylum seekers whose request for asulym have been rejected, they could be imprisoned for up to eighteen months while they await deportation.  Right now the incarceration of asylum seekers is only allowed if deportation is likely within three months […]

In an interview with German weekly Der Spiegel, German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said that “Salafist mosques must be banned, communities dissolved, and the preachers should be expelled as soon as possible.” “Those who encourage violence do not enjoy the protection of religious freedom,” the leader of the Social Democrats (SPD) added, stressing that he had […]

BRUSSELS—Belgian police had numerous chances to unmask the Islamic State terror cell that later carried out the Paris and Brussels attacks, according to a confidential report prepared for Belgium’s Parliament. They muffed every one. In early 2015, Brussels police stopped a car driven by Brahim Abdeslam, later one of the Paris attackers, and arrested him […]

Germany is attempting to bolster it’s defences against terrorism. A task that is not easy since the country’s past gets in the way -Vasilis Chronopoulos. BERLIN—Germany’s top security official on Tuesday proposed giving more power to federal authorities to fill gaps laid bare by last month’s terror attack in Berlin, outlining a strategy that sparked debate in […]

New Islamic State efforts to sow terror in Europe are pushing counterterrorism authorities to their limits, forcing citizens and their leaders to resign themselves to a new era where attacks may be a fact of life, not an exception. European Union leaders say they have swept away barriers among security agencies and bolstered border controls […]

The election of Donald Trump has left everyone in absolute shock. Whether you are utterly excited or outraged with the result, the reaction in the rest of the so-called free world has been one of angst. To better understand why that is, it is important to keep in mind that the perception of the political […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has promised to introduce comprehensive legislation to strengthen sanctions against Russia. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) told a Center for Strategic and International Studies forum on transatlantic security Nov. 17 that he would press for new sanctions to punish Russia for its aggression towards Ukraine, […]

Seven men who were planning a terrorist attack have been arrested in France, the government announced on Monday, sounding an alert about the continuing threat from terrorism barely a year after the attacks that killed 130 people in and around Paris. The arrests followed an eight-month-long investigation led by France’s domestic intelligence service, according to Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, […]

An Army National Guard Helicopter task force completed the first aviation support rotation of its kind in Europe. The multi-state unit from Colorado, Kansas and Utah brought U.S. and allied special operations forces, in the Special Operations Command Europe area of responsibility, the ability to train from new heights, literally, from July to October 2016. […]

The largest single Army-run shipment of ammunition to Europe in more than two decades, more than 600 shipping containers worth, arrived in Germany Oct. 29. The Army and Air Force ammunition arrived at the port in Nordenham, Germany, where it was loaded onto trains and shipped to Miesau Army Depot, Germany, for storage and distribution. […]