French Army Recruits Gamers for Cyber Warfare

France is taking advantage of their gamers and video game enthusists. The French army recently put up a video recruiting those who love video games to consider a career in the French army. This video was released after France's Defense Minster Jean-Yves Le Drian announced that the French army is creating a "fourth service" that will focus on cyber warfare. France plans to spend a billion euros on this between now and 2017. This video clearly lets the world know that France is ready to engage their enemies with weapons of the digital age. “This video says clearly that we have developed offensive weapons for the digital age and that they are ready to be used,” he said. “The enemy has been warned.”

France Strives to Battle Terrorism

France justice minister Christiane Taubira and a "Counter-Terrorism" Committee plan to tackle terrorism by targeting poverty and injustice. She states "Terrorism is not elsewhere it’s everywhere". This has become a concern in France because of the recent terrorist attacks that occurred. 

"... we need to concentrate on education and health. Reducing misery and inequality [...] will enable us to combat terrorism, because if we’re able to ensure that hope comes back, that people see that there’s a tomorrow, that they can get justice, then we will be able to dissipate this terrorism", says Taubira. 

The U.S. has been working with France to come up with a plan to battle terrorism and France may begin to follow the same system as post 9/11 but they fear they will violate  civil liberties and the rights of citizens.

“The challenge is to show that we can counter these new dangers without losing the soul of our principles, without losing the very foundations which serve as the legitimacy of public order.”-Christiane Taubira 

French Author Provokes Islamophobia

French author Michel Hourllebecq recently released a controversial new novel named "Submission" which presents the story of a futuristic France with a Muslim President. In 2001, the author said that Islam is the "stupidest of all religions".  His new book, which was recently published , received negative press for inciting Islamophobia and France has Europe's biggest Muslim population.

The story is set in France in the year 2022. and there is a Muslim political party that is expected to win the presidential election. The ideas are radical including women leaving the workplace to allow major improvements in the unemployment problem in France. Hourllebecq realizes that the ideas of his novel are unrealistic but he believes that Muslims are underrepresented in the French political system. Are his thoughts of a Muslim run France more realistic than he thinks? What do you think? 

French Soldiers Protecting Jewish Community Center Attacked

 While patrolling outside of a Jewish community center in Nice this afternoon, three soldiers were attacked by a man wielding a knife.  The assailant was caught and brought into custody, and one possible accomplice was also brought in for questioning.

After the terrorist attack in Paris last month, which resulted in 17 deaths, 10,500 French soldiers have been deployed outside of sensitive areas such as Jewish and Muslim centers and places of worship, as well as high traffic areas.

 The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, identified today's attacker as Moussa Coulibaly, who appears not to have any relation to Amedy Coulibaly, the gunman responsible for the the act of terror in Paris.  No judicial action has been taken regarding today's incident.


Sources:  Soldiers protecting French Jewish center knifed
               French soldiers wounded in Nice Jewish centre attack