Interview: Europe refugee crisis should not be conflated with terrorism: Italian scholar

Europe's ongoing refugee crisis should not be conflated with terrorism, Italian scholar Francesco Mancini said in an interview with Xinhua.

"Syria offers an opportunity for military training, but radicalization is happening within European societies, as most of the recruits come from French and Belgian society," said Mancini, adjunct associate professor in public policy at the Lee Kuan Yew School in Singapore and non-resident senior adviser at the International Peace Institute in New York.

"There are more radicalized violent extremists coming out from the French prisons then coming out from Syria and nobody is talking about closing down prisons," he added.

Paris may have been targeted by terrorists due to France's military ongoing operation in Mali and campaigns in Iraq and Syria, according to Mancini.

He also pointed to domestic elements such as upcoming administrative elections in France. "Voters could be attracted by the Front National of Marine Le Pen enhancing support for xenophobic, nationalist movements in Europe," Mancini said

Given the lack of employment and integration among second and third generation migrants from North Africa, many youths find solace in radical ideas that they cannot find in mainstream society, he added.

Mancini underlined European security forces would come under massive pressure to prevent future attacks and that it would be hard to balance security and policing needs with the freedoms of the European society.

There would also be challenges related to the screening of new refugees. But Mancini said these were not particularly new, since these challenges existed before the Paris attacks.

Mancini felt France reacting to the attacks with renewed air bombing campaigns would need to be complemented by a political strategy. The real challenge is how to re-install proper governance in Syria, how Sunnis can be integrated in Iraqi government, and how territory can be controlled in Libya.

"The political strategy on how to substitute the caliphate with governance with a different ideology and non-discriminatory policies has not been articulated right now," he said.

The Italian scholar also said Europe would need to better implement integration policies on several levels: personal, family, media, schools and places of worship.

"More cooperation and exchange of information is needed among European countries," he said. Endit