No place is truly safe

Over the weekend, the world witnessed a coordinated terrorist attack that took place on one of the most beloved destinations in the world. This is, in fact, the second attack on Paris in 2015 that made headlines (the first being the Charlie Hebdo attack earlier this year). On the evening of Nov. 13, mass shootings, suicide bombings, and hostage taking occurred in Paris, France and Saint-Denis beginning late Nov. 13 and ending on Nov. 14. Reports write over 129 people were killed with almost 500 being admitted to hospitals for injuries. It was one of the worst attacks on French soil since World War II and is reminiscent of the attacks that took place in the United States on 9/11.

The world watched in shock as the attacks took place, the worst of which happened at Bataclan Theatre. I think everyone knew that it was going to get much worse before it got better. And, as pointed out over the social media firestorm over the days that followed the Paris tragedy, this was just another in a series of terrorist attacks happening all over the world. A series of bombs went off in a suicide attack on Beirut just a day before the Paris incident with over 40 dead and many more injured.

We know these aren’t the first terrorist attacks to happen and unfortunately, much as we would like them to be, we know they aren’t the last. It paints a very scary picture of what the world is becoming and how quickly everything can go up in smoke. I think the Paris attacks hit us harder than most others, despite all of them being devastating, because they happened in a place that we felt should have been safe. This makes us realize that despite countries and governments doing what they can to protect us from terrorism, no place is ever truly safe anymore.

I don’t even need to run down the list of tragedies that have been occurring all throughout the world this year. Paris, Beirut, when Al Qaeda attacked Garissa University in April killing 150 in Kenya or Boko Haram razing Baja in Nigeria killing more than 2,000 people, or the Lumad killings happening right in our own backyard. Throughout the year horrible things have occurred in Pakistan, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, and so many other places, and we really can no longer gloss over the fact that the world is reaching a proverbial boiling point. My question is what happens when the pot boils over?

My deepest sympathy goes out to those whose lives have changed in the blink of an eye both last week and throughout the entire war on terror and I mourn for the state of global human affairs. These attacks are forcing us to ask ourselves very basic and frightening questions – how do we move on from this? What does this mean for Paris, Beirut, Syria, and the rest of the world?

I think at this point it has become increasingly important to admit the growing problem of being able to contain the war on terror throughout the world and discuss new strategies on how to address the issues. The sophistication, execution, and scale of recent attacks, most especially those in Paris, have shown the world that there are serious challenges to containing extremist violence and maybe the old ways are no longer effective.

Over the last few years, European governments have sought different means to guard against national security and these steps are mirrored in the United States and other countries on different scales. However, the attacks last weekend have highlighted the weaknesses in the world’s current strategies and how they may not be enough to contain terror in a world where global extremism flows across nations and borders.

A good friend of mine from the Shangri-La Tuesday Club also brought up another difficult point when it comes to containing terror. While terrorists have been known to plan and execute well-coordinated attacks, the lone wolf threat is also something that can’t be ignored. The way groups like Al Qaeda, ISIS, and ISIL work is that they seek to ingrain the hatred and desire to wreck havoc on all their followers. Through this they can convince those who wish to join them or are recruited via the Internet to conduct their own attacks and spread terror in their own ways and in their own areas. These attacks are that much harder to anticipate and that much harder to prevent.

In the end, serious reevaluation is important and better safety measures need to be put in place to help safeguard the future. I’m sure that we have not heard the last of these attacks and we can only wait to see what the global response and the fallout will be. In the end we can only continue to do our part to both pray for the world and be properly informed so we know how and when we can help.

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And speaking of safety and worldwide agenda, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit is currently happening in the country. It has had its share of criticism and praise depending on whom you ask and honestly we’ll have to wait and see who ends up being correct when all is said and done.

Understandably, many are upset about the fact that APEC is closing down work and schools alongside making already horrible traffic a veritable nightmare, but we can’t say we weren’t warned in advance and advised to make alternative plans. On the flipside though it hardly seems fitting that we are “shutting down the economy” to highlight the economy. Not to mention hiding what we think might be embarrassing to the visiting world leaders. It’s quite hypocritical of us.

However, we can’t deny the gravity of the APEC summit and for the first time in nearly two decades it is our turn to host the who’s who of global politics, business, and diplomacy. APEC is the highest-level, most influential economic forum in the Asia-Pacific that accounts for over 50% of the global GDP. While the leaders from these nations are in the Philippines, they are meant to discuss important economic growth partnerships and opportunities. The theme this year is “Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World.” This is highly appropriate in the Philippines as we are often criticized for unfair growth wherein any economic boom is only felt by the rich without trickle down effect to the rest of the population.

There are many who protest the APEC “hidden” agenda saying it will result in unfair globalization policies that will take advantage of the country and while I can see where that fear stems from, I also hope that it actually lives up to its main purpose and progress may be felt for the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that APEC is looking to highlight. Again, this could go either way.

We have a lot to look out for throughout this week and I hope our government officials represent us in the best way possible and that the outcomes are fair and beneficial to our country in the long run. Dare to dream? Perhaps. Again, only time will tell what the true APEC outcomes will be.