Defiance and security cooperation likely to follow Paris terrorist attacks
Stathis Kalyvas notes the threat of a knee-jerk response that best serves attackers
The terrorist attacks that shook Paris fall under the category of unimaginable - because of their spectacular, yet unexpected quality. From piloting jetliners into iconic skyscrapers to massacring a roomful of popular cartoonists, these attacks push us out of our comfort zone.
Because of their spectacular and transgressive nature, these attacks are potentially transformative events. The US Patriot Act, signed into law in October 2001, is perhaps the most striking such example. Because they are so shocking, these attacks tempt those targeted into reacting in a knee-jerk way, ultimately playing into the hands of the attackers and becoming self-fulfilling prophecies of sorts. In fact, this is the greatest threat they pose.
On the domestic front, the biggest issues raised by the attack on relate both to questions of free speech and to public attitudes and policies vis-à-vis France's Muslim population.
Free speech in France is somewhat ambiguous. On the one hand, public discourse tends to be much more provocative compared to the US, especially when addressing religion and other sensitive issues. On the other hand, there are certain areas in France where free speech is legally restricted in a way totally out of place in the US. The Gayssot Act, for instance, makes it illegal to question the existence of crimes deemed to be crimes against humanity, prohibiting denial of the Holocaust.
Despite all this, the long tradition of France's provocative bent makes the imposition of additional restrictions or the emergence of self-censorship unlikely. If anything, the most likely outcome is defiance.
The status of the Muslim population in France has generated interminable debates. There are problems with the integration of immigrants in general and specifically marginalised second-generation immigrant youth. Conversely, a large segment of the French Muslim population is gradually becoming part of the French middle class and social fabric. If anything, the Paris attacks will cause the French political class to redouble efforts towards integration.
