Nature
Vs Nurture
On November 13, 2015 a series of terrorist attacks rocked the city of Paris, starting with three suicide bombings outside of the Stade de France, where a soccer match was occurring between France and Germany. Other shootings occurred at various restaurants as well as the Bataclan Theatre, where 1500 people were taken hostage while an American band- Eagles of Death Metal- was playing. In the overall attack, 130 people were killed; 89 of those people were killed at the Bataclan. Some 389 people were wounded as a result of the shootings.18 One day after the attack ISIS, a radical Islamic group, claimed responsibility for the attacks. 9 perpetrators were identified, including Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was believed to be the planner of the attack. He was killed in a shootout a few days later. Two suspects are still on the run.19
Background
Reaction
Motive
The whole world reacted to the Paris attacks; people from all over rallied in support of the grieving country. Monuments across the world were lit up in France's national colors of red, white, and blue, including the CN Tower in Canada, The Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil, the Sydney Opera House in Australia, and the Empire State Building in the United States20. People also offered their condolences over social media. World leaders, meanwhile, stated that they condemn these attacks and will be seeking justice on Paris's part. The issue of survelliance has been called into question, along with the investigation of hard to track communication systems, such as the Playstation 4 that the attackers had been using to talk. In retaliation for the attacks, France and other nations across the globe have picked up assualts on ISIS bases.21
After ISIS claimed responsibilty for the attacks, investigators began to look into a possible motivation. The group's change in tactics; using a strategical, timed-out attack, suggests that they may have been motivated to take as many civilian casualties as possible. The attacks may have also been in retaliation for French airstrikes in Syria. Many Muslims, and ISIS converts, are from France; this may also be a reason that they targeted the country. A propaganda video showed ISIS men burning their French passports; experts say they may be trying to break from their past. The motivation for the Paris attacks is still not crystal clear, but then again, it took 10 years to lock down the motivation for the 9/11 attack, so we may have to wait a while to get all the answers.22