R.K. Raghavan is right in concluding that multiple regions of the world, and especially Europe, face the prospect of increased terrorist activity (“A grim outlook for Europe”, Dec.26). It is not clear how long European nations, which have chosen to throw open their borders to refugees, plan to keep them in camps given that no serious steps have been initiated to address the immediate cause of the crisis — ending the Islamic State-engineered strife in Syria and Iraq.
The longer the refugee crisis persists, the more advantageous it is for extremist organisations. The refugee influx could prove to be a Trojan horse.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that “there is a need to focus on stopping the flow of donor money to IS and its illegal oil trade which make up the arteries and lifeblood of the terrorist group”. The U.S. and its allies would do well to listen to Mr. Putin on Syria.
R. Venkatesan Iyengar
Hyderabad
