Un sintetico articolo dell'Economist illustra i principali fattori alla base dell'attuale debolezza del nostro continente.

A broader question will be what, if anything, Europe can do to reduce the risk of such attacks becoming a recurring horror. A more concerted attempt to end the war in Syria and destroy the IS caliphate might help reduce the flow of refugees but it is not likely to eradicate the threat. Indeed, IS might become much more focused on taking the fight to the “far enemy”. One major concern must be the easy availability of automatic weapons in Europe (although not, mercifully, in Britain with its strict gun laws) and the way in which they can be moved from one country to another. If large-scale terrorist attacks start to take place more or less anywhere that people gather in large numbers, from sports stadia to rail stations to entertainment venues and political events, will it mean introducing Israeli-style security screening and checks across Europe’s cities? That would seem politically inconceivable and economically disastrous, the clearest manifestation that the terrorists had won. Much will depend on the scale and timing of the next atrocity. Life has a way of returning to normal quite quickly. But if Europe’s security agencies, which have done a pretty good job keeping its citizens safe in the past, are unable to prevent attacks of this kind becoming a more regular occurrence, then keeping calm and carrying on may not be an option. […]