"[The Paris attack] raises the question whether it is the sort of challenge that should impel Europe, if that is still possible, to develop its strategic conception as a participant in international affairs, and not to believe that soft power by itself can remedy the world," Kissinger stated on Monday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
European Union nations have been mostly reluctant to commit armed forces to the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. France is currently the only European anti-Islamic State coalition member carrying out airstrikes in Syria.
Kissinger noted that following Friday’s terror attacks in Paris, "it is not enough to be compassionate and it is not enough to say we stand by you." He maintained that joint action is needed to directly tackle the threat posed by the Islamic State.
On Friday, terrorists conducted coordinated attacks in Paris killing 129 people and wounding several hundred. The Islamic State took responsibility for the incident. The French government has characterized the Paris attacks as an act of war.
