No, Paris Did Not Invite Terrorism

What we’re seeing unfold is an information operation. The Iranian axis is using the Paris attacks as an opportunity to shape the political environment to its advantage. Iran and allies are the good guys, and the Arabs and Turkey are the black hats. We warned you that the terror you support against us would blow back on you. Now join up with us or else it will happen again. Assad and friends ran a similar propaganda campaign after the Charlie Hebdo/Hyper-Cacher attacks in January to argue that France has taken the wrong side in the Syrian war. With 17 dead in the streets of the French capital, pro-Iran, pro-Assad, and pro-Hezbollah media were in full swing, admonishing France, the EU and the United States to review its regional policies. Assad, in this telling, was not the problem, but the solution. If Western states want to secure their cities, they should coordinate with Damascus. Assad promised the same after Friday’s attacks. The Syrian regime will help France fight terror, said Assad, provided Hollande abandons his goal of removing the Syrian dictator from power. And if France doesn’t meet Assad’s terms? With the Syrian regime it’s always a threat.