Read on Twitter
A few general thoughts on the anti-terrorism drive led by President Macron & to a lesser degree Chancellor Kurz. I'm not a French Islam expert. But I am knowledgeable on asylum, external borders, Schengen & counter-terrorism/de-radicalization.
#thread
#thread
1/ It is incorrect that the EU is "too generous" with asylum seekers. This is the least plausible year to make the claim, with successful asylum claims a fraction of what they were 5 years ago.
2/ Schengen matters. Better governance rather than overhaul will help it tremendously
2/ Schengen matters. Better governance rather than overhaul will help it tremendously
3/ On Schengen & ext. borders, people think we're talking armed guards & sniffer dogs, but most of the necessary governance pertains to TECHNOLOGY & its use across the borders, by all border guards. This is a massive tech & training spending that will be a game-changer.
4/ On countering violent extremism online & offline, de-radicalization & monitoring extremist $$$ & preaching, the EU had better seek lessons from East Africa & other regions where authorities have been working on this for years. Start in Mombasa, Kenya, not Munich, Germany.
5/ These are areas where Brexit really hurts the EU. The British policy establishment (pre-Brexit, pre-erosion) is among the world's most expert in countering violent extremism. At home, the UK has dealt better than most w/ terrorist events by homegrown or imported assailants.
6/ The majority of laws & policy frameworks that Messrs. Macron & Kurz hinted at yesterday exist. They require ++ funding, implementation, & bringing EU officers in member states, at borders, in police stations & intelligence on the same level. It is a monumental task.
7/ A small example. Eurodac, the biometric database system used by police/border in most of the EU, is incomplete, needs upgrade. It has failed to fully integrate biometrics collected in ISIS battlefields provided by US.Non-Schengen members don't have proper access to it.
8/ General observation on discourse. On twitter & in The Real World, we are able to have technical debates about finance, econ, health. Migration, asylum, borders, counter-terrorism are fields of public policy & social science closely studied by experts w field experience.
(cont) yet debate about these matters is at infantile level, as if there aren't legions of intelligent people dedicating their lives to them. LISTEN TO THE EXPERTS. Some things work, others don't. These policy areas are too important to be relegated to culture warfare. /ENDS
