At least 84 are dead after a truck plowed through Bastille Day crowds in the French coastal city of Nice: how it might affect our national security policy going forward; Trump confirms via Twitter that his VP will be Indiana governor Mike Pence; plus KPCC film critics Amy Nicholson and Tim Cogshell this week's latest releases, including the "Ghostbusters" reboot.
RAND expert: 'Islamic State itself appears to be trying to figure out who Nice attacker was'
At least 84 people are dead in Nice, France, including two Americans, after a truck plowed through crowds at a Bastille Day celebration. French authorities are investigating the incident as a possible terrorist attack. This is the third major attack on French soil in less than two years.
Law enforcement sources have identified the suspect as 31-year-old Mohamed Bouhlel, a French-Tunisian man. Some have been quick to blame international terrorist organizations like the Islamic State, but uncertainty remains about Bouhlel’s motivation.
"A range of groups — including the Islamic State — [appear to be] trying themselves to figure out who this person was and what motivated him to conduct the attack."
That was Seth Jones, the director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the RAND Corporation, speculated that prominent terror groups might also have questions about the attacker.
Airtalk spoke with Jones and Patrick Simon, a professor in Paris who he specializes in sociology and race relations in France to get a better understanding of the context for the the attack in Nice.
Interview highlights
Jones: Groups like the Islamic State and Al Qaeda have generally taken responsibility for attacks that they have been directly involved in. In a few cases — and we saw this in Orlando, Florida — where someone did it in the name of a group, these kinds of organizations have used individuals’ names as examples of martyrs. In this case, it’s not clear that he did it in the name of or inspired by a specific organization. A lot of that detail has not come out yet. What appears to be the case is that a range of groups — including the Islamic State — are trying themselves to figure out who this person was and what motivated him to conduct the attack.
On the difficulty of preventing “lone-wolf” attacks:
Jones: I think what is going to be a challenge to law enforcement agencies is to try prevent these inspired individuals -- ones that aren’t connected directly to a terrorist organization or other militant group -- and such a wide variety of tactics used, from driving cars to assault-style attacks. Frankly, this is going to be a very challenging time for France and a range of other western countries.
On the Islamic State and Al Qaeda's efforts to inspire attacks
Jones: [Groups like the Islamic State are Al Qaeda] are focusing on this kind of an attack. That is to inspire an individual to conduct an attack that is so easy to perpetrate...This is the type of thing that these kind of extremist groups are encouraging people to do. It’s been the case for the last year or two, if not a little bit more than that.
On the likelihood of an increase anti-Muslim sentiment in France.
Patrick Simon: After the first two attacks in January and November we were expecting a surge in anti-Muslim sentiments, but the polls didn’t show that the public opinion was strongly against Muslims more than it was before. There is a very widespread anti-Muslim sentiment, which is not tied to the attacks themselves.
On how social isolation of Muslims in France has contributed to radicalization
Simon: The profile of the terrorists who have done the attacks these last events are related to an experience of social exclusion and discrimination. There is a link between [that and terrorism]. But the number of people who are exposed to this type of experience is pretty high, and only a very small minority of them are thinking or acting the way the terrorists are doing.
These situations of social exclusion that Muslims may experience in France are not the main explanation for the attacks. The attacks are related not to a domestic social situation in France, but more broadly the geopolitical situation in the Middle East.
Yesterday’s attack in France came on the heels of a spate of violence that has gripped our collective consciousness here in the U.S. We want to know how the string of recent events has affected you and your communities. Do you feel safe? Do you plan on changing your travel plans? Has any of this changed the way you live your daily life?
Call and leave KPCC a message at 818 797 5722. 818 797 KPCC
Guests:
Seth Jones, Director International Security and Defense Policy Center, RAND Corporation think tank; he has served as the representative for the commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations; he is also the author of the book, "Hunting in the Shadows: The Pursuit of al Qa'ida after 9/11"
Patrick Simon, a professor at National Demographic Institute in Paris, where he specializes in sociology and race relations in France.
What the attack in Nice means for US national security
Apart from yesterday’s attack in Nice, two other terrorist attacks have occurred within France in less than two years.
Also in light of the terrorist attack in Orlando just last month and what seems like an increasing frequency of terrorists attack on civilians in the West, defense experts from both sides of the political spectrum discuss and debate what is being done and what domestic and foreign policy strategies should be rolled out in response.
On Airtalk Friday, Michael Rubin, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute who studies terrorism and the Middle East, said that no one strategy will be wholly effective in stopping the threat of terrorism.
"There’s a conceit in Washington that we can resolve everything with a political speech or in the course of this one administration," he said. "We’re gonna be living with [the] problem [of terrorism] for quite some time."
Interview highlights
On reconceptualizing how we think of the war on terrorism
Katulis: What I do think we all need to think about is reconceptualizing war to include the war of ideas, the battle against the ideologies of groups like [the Islamic State]. When you look at the U.S. strategy right now it has that in the five lines of effort, but everything that we debate is what our military does. And that’s important. But what we haven’t done enough is figure out "how do we actually counter the spread of the hate?"
On the U.S.'s approach to stopping attacks
Katulis: There is a gap when there are some signals, either in the immediate sort of environment of the individuals around their family or their friends and networks. We have an almost exclusively law-enforcement approach to countering violent extremists and ultimately terrorists. Meaning, we try to go for a conviction. I think that’s good before an incident happens. But there are instances where we don’t have the ability to pull people back from the edge when somebody notices and ‘sees something and says something'.
On our timeline for fighting terrorism
Rubin: We need to recognize that there is no magic formula right now. The seeds for this problem were set over the course of decades. There’s a conceit in Washington that we can resolve everything with a political speech or in the course of this one administration. We’re gonna be living with [the] problem [of terrorism] for quite some time.
Yesterday’s attack in France came on the heels of a spate of violence that has gripped our collective consciousness here in the U.S. We want to know how the string of recent events has affected you and your communities. Do you feel safe? Do you plan on changing your travel plans? Has any of this changed the way you live your daily life?
Call and leave KPCC a message at 818-797-5722 / 818-797-KPCC.
Guests:
Brian Katulis, a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress - a left-leaning think tank in D.C., where his work focuses on U.S. national security strategy and counterterrorism policy
Michael Rubin, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank based in D.C., where his research focuses on terrorism and the Middle East. He is the author of the book “Dancing with the Devil,” a history of diplomacy with rogues and terrorists.
Trump selects Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate
On Twitter this morning, Donald Trump announced that Indiana Governor Mike Pence would be his running mate. Pence has accepted, beating out a short list of vice presidential picks that included Newt Gingrich and Chris Christie.
Pence is known as an orthodox social conservative. In 2010, he supported a same-sex marriage ban in Indiana, as well as signing a “religious freedom” measure which allowed businesses to use their religious views as a defense for turning away LGBT customers.
So how can he help Trump? He has appeal with fellow party members struggling to accept Trump as their presumptive nominee. He also has connections to hefty donors like the Koch brothers, who’ve strongly resisted contributing to Trump’s campaign and has a long track record of experience in the political sphere, something that has been topic of criticism against Trump.
On AirTalk today, we’ll take a look at Pence’s political record, what factored into the Trump campaign’s decision, and what analysts expect Pence will bring to the Trump ticket.
Guests:
Leah Wright Rigueur, assistant professor of public policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and author of “The Loneliness of the Black Republican: Pragmatic Politics and the Pursuit of Power” (Princeton University Press, 2016)
Justin Vaughn, associate professor of political science at Boise State University and co-author of “Czars in the White House: The Rise of Policy Czars as a Presidential Management Tool” (University of Michigan Press, 2015)
Andrew “Andy” Downs, director of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics and associate professor of political science at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne
FilmWeek: ‘Ghostbusters,’ ‘The Infiltrator,’ ‘Cafe Society’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Amy Nicholson and Tim Cogshell review this week’s new movie releases including the much-anticipated, all-female troupe of “Ghostbusters; ” plus Bryan Cranston busting drug deals for once in “The Infiltrator,” plus Woody Allen’s “Cafe Society” and more.
TGI-FilmWeek!
Tim's Hits
- "Ghostbusters"
- "Café Society"
- "Men Go To Battle"
- "Undrafted"
- "Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You"
Amy's Hits
Mixed Reviews
- Tim: "The Infiltrator"
- Amy: "Café Society"
- Amy: "Equals"
- Amy: "Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You"
- Amy: "Tony Robbins: I am Not Your Guru"
- Tim: "Lucha Mexico"
This Week's Misses
- Amy: "The Infiltrator"
- Amy: "Lucha Mexico"
Guests:
Tim Cogshell, Film Critic for KPCC and Alt-Film Guide; Tim tweets from
Amy Nicholson, Film Critic for KPCC and Chief Film Critic, MTV News; Amy Tweets from
Hollywood historian weighs in on the ‘best of’ film noir
Film noir fans understand the allure of darkness.
Broody and passionate, they love stories that don’t carry the promise of a happy ending. Color? Who needs it? Musicals? Don’t even start.
For the kind of fan that can’t get enough of “Sunset Boulevard,” Hollywood Historian Mark A. Viera has put an inside spin on the genre that could satisfy the most avid film noir addict.
Vieira’s book, “Into the Dark: The Hidden World of Film Noir, 1941-1950,” dives into the history of these shadowy classics with a voices of artists who were on set during that time, and journalists who wrote about the films’ breakthroughs on-screen. It was also a way to tell the story of how those movies broke into an entertainment industry built on lightheartedness.
Vieira speaks with Larry Mantle today about his book, the origins of film noir and his favorite films of the genre.
What’s your favorite film noir pick?
Guest:
Mark A. Vieira, Author of the book, “Into the Dark: The Hidden World of Film Noir, 1941-1950” (Running Press, 2016) and writer and photographer specializing in Hollywood history