Paris will always be Paris

Our French culture article for this week will have to wait. We’ll get back to all the wonderful things that make France the beautiful country that it is. But the terrible events in Paris on Friday have left us sad and in shock. Thank you to all those who have called and written – I am currently safe in the U.S., just back after two months working in France including Paris. My heartfelt thoughts and prayers and condolences go out to those affected by this tragedy and to all the French.

This weekend, France has been top of mind. I have been on the phone and on email with my Paris colleagues and friends to see if all are ok. Thankfully, so far, so good. And I was interviewed by a local Dallas television station as events were unfolding late Friday. As I mention in the clip, France is experiencing its own sort of 9/11 moment. Yet despite the tragedy, the French are incredibly strong – and Paris will bounce back better and stronger than ever. (To see the interview, click on the video below or you can click this link.)

It has been encouraging to see France and countries across Europe mobilize quickly to get on top of this terrorist threat. French president François Hollande immediately offered stern words about ISIS and confronting such barbarism. French police and military forces were deployed almost instantly. And when the French get serious, they are very serious.

Security threats in the French capital and the French response are not new. When I was living in Paris for graduate school in 1990-91, the First Gulf War broke out. Rumors spread like wildfire that enemy missiles were going to hit Paris. Anxiety was palpable. To prevent any terrorist attacks and to keep order, the French government deployed hundreds of police and national guard troops in the streets of Paris. At the time, I happened to be living across the street from the French Defense Ministry in the 7th arrondissement. For weeks on end, French troops were posted right in front of my building. Anyone passing through the area was required to show official ID to the military. So to reach my building’s door each day, I had to show my passport. It was surreal. But I was very glad for those soldiers out there day and night. Paris was secure.

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La France – America’s oldest ally – will recover from this tragedy. Its democratic motto of Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité will stand firm. The City of Light will burn brighter than ever. Again, prayers for Paris’s recovery, for the world’s response and for peace globally. Paris, see you soon. And long live France – Vive la France!

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