A general view of the scene outside a restaurant following shooting incidents in Paris, France, November 13, 2015 Paris attacks: The West’s fatal misunderstanding of Islamic State. The horrendous attacks on Paris have an eerie resemblance to the events of Sept. 11, 2001, in that they seem to have caught everyone off guard. Until perhaps Friday, the main perception among Western intelligence agencies and Washington policymakers has been that Islamic State poses “no immediate threat” to the United States or the West. “Unlike Al Qaeda, ISIS is more interested in establishing a Caliphate and not so interested in attacking the West,” a retired CIA officer explained during a closed meeting at one of Washington’s think tanks. He was echoing a common sentiment, and insisted that “Al Qaeda remains the main threat.” Even U.S. President Barack Obama recently said with confidence that Islamic State was being “contained.” But we cannot forget that Islamic State came to the world stage barely ove...

European equities ended mixed to slightly higher Monday as investors digested the potential impact of a series of terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday night. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index closed slightly higher, up 0.2 to 0.3 percent provisionally, boosted by trade in the U.S. London's FTSE 100 closed 0.5 percent higher, while France's CAC and Germany's DAX closed around the flat line. Paris terror attacks: Market response Symbol Name Price   Change %Change Volume FTSE FTSE 100 Index 6146.38   28.10 0.46% 621592768 DAX DAX Index...

LONDON, Nov 16 European shares held steady on Monday, supported by gains in the energy sector that helped offset a slump in travel stocks following Friday's militant attacks in Paris. Energy shares outpaced the broader market, buoyed by the prospect of higher oil prices following stepped-up French air strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria. French shares slightly underperformed when markets reopened for the first time since the coordinated suicide bombings and shootings by Islamist militants that killed 129 people. Around 2.3 billion euros ($2.46 billion) were wiped off the STOXX 60 Travel & Leisure index amid fears that the sector could be harmed by a loss of consumer confidence. Shares in French hotel group Accor fell 4.7 percent, Air France fell 5.7 percent while shares in Eurotunnel and Aeroports de Paris, the operator of Paris' Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports, were down over 3.8 percent. Luxury stocks were also under pressure. Hermes, LVMH and Kering, which get ...