Although Western leaders immediately condemned the attack, their words alone will not defeat this enemy which places little value on human life, or the civilized world’s laws and customs of war. The West desperately needs new strategic thinking to effectively combat this evil.
Why did jihadists strike Brussels? The short answer is likely because the city serves as the capital of Belgium and the European Union (EU) as well as headquarters for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The March 22, 2016 jihadist attack on unsuspecting civilians at a Brussels airport and subway left 35 people dead (including four Americans), and about 300 others wounded. It replicated in some respects recent jihadist attacks on civilians in Paris, France and San Bernardino, California and elsewhere.
The Islamic State claims this and other attacks on Western civilian targets (in clear contravention of Geneva conventions and protocols) are in reprisal for Western-led airstrikes (warplanes and drones) on areas it controls in places like Iraq, Syria and Libya.
