U.S. to boost intelligence sharing with France after attacks

By Lisa Lambert

The Eiffel Tower is lit with the colours of the French tricolour

The United States will make it easier to share planning information and intelligence with France after the Paris attacks, the Pentagon said on Monday.

"In the wake of the recent attack on France, we stand strong and firm with our oldest ally, which is why the U.S. and France have decided to bolster our intelligence sharing," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a statement.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper have issued new instructions to U.S. military personnel to allow greater intelligence sharing, the Pentagon said.

The militant group Islamic State has claimed responsibility for Friday's attacks in Paris that killed 129 people.

France is a member of the U.S.-led coalition waging air strikes in Syria and Iraq against Islamic State, sometimes known as ISIL.

Earlier on Monday, President Barack Obama told a G20 summit in Turkey that: "France is already a strong counterterrorism partner, and today we're announcing a new agreement."

"We're streamlining the process by which we share intelligence and operational military information with France. This will allow our personnel to pass threat information, including on ISIL, to our French partners even more quickly and more often, because we need to be doing everything we can to protect against more attacks and protect our citizens," he added.

From:

Lambert, Lisa. "U.S. to Boost Intelligence Sharing with France after Attacks."Reuters.com. Thomson Reuters, 16 Nov. 2015. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.

Response:

An attack on one is an attack on all.

It seems that the tragedy in France is bound to become the new face of modern terrorism. A second wake-up call after the bombing of the Russian plane, violently reminding the rest of the West that ISIL's reach continues to grow.

Hollande, fighting widespread disapproval at home, is already spearheading efforts for a new chapter in Russo-American relations, one in which the two superpowers (theoretically) unite to counter the common threat of terrorism. Depending on how he decides to pursue such an action, the coming months and years may alter the traditional alignments in Western Europe, especially considering Cameron's recent warming to Putin.

In any case, when the grieving dies down, a very changed Republic is going to emerge—one struggling against revived feelings of xenophobia and one where civil liberties may be at greater risk than before. One hardened to terrorism (though in no way was it a stranger before).

That, however, remains to be seen—in the brief substance of this article the writer sticks solely to facts and quotes.