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A Long-Term Problem

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Posted: July 20th, 2016

By Steven Kramer

Steven Philip Kramer served as the Policy Advisor to the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs from 1996-2002.  He is currently an Adjunct Professor at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).  He serves as the Professor of Grand Strategy at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University in Washington, D.C.  His books include Does France still Count: The French Role in the New Europe, Trouble in Paradise? Europe in the 21st Century, coauthored with Professor Irene Kyriakopoulos, and Socialism in Western Europe: The Experience of a Generation.

On Thursday evening, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel drove for more than a mile through a crowd of people celebrating France’s independence day on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, killing at least 84 and injuring more than 200. The Cipher Brief spoke with National Defense University’s Steven Kramer about France’s vulnerabilities to this kind of attack and the changing landscape of terrorism that makes it difficult to prevent all attacks. Kramer, who also served as the Policy Advisor to the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs, says his comments are purely his personal views and not a reflection of the U.S. government.

The Cipher Brief: What are the internal dynamics in France that make the country vulnerable to attacks like the one last Thursday?

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