The Problem With the French Flag on Facebook
Replace the French flag with the U.N. flag in Facebook profile pictures to show terrorists that the world stands united against them.
მოკლედ, საფრანგეთის დროშა მოხსენითო პროფილებიდანო, ამით კიდევ უფრო ამძიმებთ პრობლემას, ანაწევრებთ მსოფლიოს და ჯიჰადისტებსაც ეს უნდათო.... გაეროს დროშით ჩაანაცვლეთო
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/201...nity?src=usn_fbSupport for France, but Beirut, Russia and Turkey too.
By Jonathan Rothermel Nov. 16, 2015 | 3:10 p.m. EST + More
The outpouring of support for France in the wake of the Friday the 13th terrorist attacks is impressive. The Obama administration immediately issued a statement in support of America's oldest ally. Even Chinese President Xi Jinping promptly contacted French President Hollande offering condolences and pledging cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
Support for the French has manifested itself in another way as well. On social media, users are overlaying their profile pictures with a French flag watermark to express their solidarity. The French colors – blue, white and red – can be viewed all over social media.
However, Islamic State group terrorist attacks have occurred recently in other places as well. On the day prior to the Paris attacks, two suicide bombers associated with the Islamic State group killed at least 43 people in Beirut, Lebanon.
Just two weeks ago, a Russian plane allegedly exploded in midair over the Sinai Peninsula. The Islamic State group eagerly claimed responsibility for the carnage, which included 224 deaths.
Last month, two suicide bombers, suspected of links to the terrorist group, killed over 100 people in the Turkish capital, Ankara. It was the deadliest terror attack in Turkey's history.
There is absolutely no doubt that we should support our ally France. However, the attacks in France have put the war against the Islamic State group at a critical junction.
[READ: Show No Mercy in the Wake of the Paris Terrorist Attack]
On one hand, there is a temptation to frame these attacks in a cultural narrative that puts the West on the defensive against radical Islam. U.S. presidential candidate Jeb Bush referred to the attacks as "an organized effort to destroy Western civilization."
In the wake of Paris, calls for the suspension of accepting Syrian and Iraqi refugees fleeing their war-torn region have intensified. French President Hollande immediately closed the French border in the aftermath of the attack. Politicians throughout Europe, including refugee-friendly Germany, and the United States are concerned that extremists are infiltrating refugee programs.
The attacks in Paris, which included the death of at least one American, hit close to home for the American people and calls are being made to defend Western values and freedoms. Front-runner presidential candidate Donald Trump said that such attacks justify the creation of a wall along the southern U.S. border.
[SEE: Editorial Cartoons on the 2016 Presidential Elections]
This response is likely to divide the world, and the Islamic State group is much stronger when the world is divided.
On the other hand, the attacks in France are an opportunity to mobilize the entire world against the terrorist organization. The Islamic State group is a threat from a non-state actor that does not have a single sympathizer among member states in the U.N. It represents a new kind of security threat in the world; one that is best addressed through multilateral collective action.
Of course, this will result in some awkward alliances. The Islamic State group is a mutual enemy of countries like Iran and Syria. A worldwide alliance against the terrorist group does not mean that the U.S. relinquishes its right to criticize other governments. However, based on the severity of the threat, neutralizing the Islamic State group should be a priority.
[MORE Paris Terror Attacks by ISIS Called ‘Act of War’]
The United Nations Security Council should immediately pass a resolution invoking Chapter VII, Article 42 of the U.N. charter authorizing the use of military force in order to deal effectively with this non-state actor threat. This authorization will give greater credence to an international coalition willing to respond militarily against the Islamic State group.
Otherwise, ad hoc coalitions, such as Russia, Iran, Syria and Iraq, or perhaps a NATO-led coalition, will continue to operate in the region, which suggests that parochial interests matter most. The indiscriminate terrorism of the Islamic State group should arouse all states' national interests to eliminate this threat.
A world in which users on social media overlay their profile pictures with the powder blue flag of the United Nations would send an unequivocal message to the terrorist organization. No matter one's nationality, whether it is French, Lebanese, Russian or Turkish, human beings have a universal right to live securely and free, and as an international community, the world stands together against the Islamic State group.
This post has been edited by anthropod on 17 Nov 2015, 05:29 
· 
პარიზს უტევენ ბნელები, ვოლ 2
