One week after terror struck in Paris, the attacks dominate the US political debate as President Barack Obama struggles to calm "hysteria" targeting Syria refugees and Muslims, and his adversaries slam his anti-jihadist strategy as too little, too late.
The Republican and Democratic parties, each pressing their own agenda, have seized on the deadly attacks to call for reforms on US policies ranging from refugees, immigration and military strategy in the Middle East to intelligence sharing, firearms and more.
- Refugees, Muslims -
On the night of the Paris assault, ultra-conservative Republican White House hopeful Senator Ted Cruz started calling for closing America's doors to Syrian refugees in order to prevent any infiltration by Islamic State extremists.
Within days, much of the Republican Party followed suit, with the House of Representatives voting Thursday to suspend Syrian and Iraqi refugee arrivals until a stricter vetting process is in place.
The bill could die in the Senate, but the clash over refugees continues. In Tennessee, Republicans have called for rounding up and expelling the 30 Syrians who were resettled in the state this year.
Half the nation's governors have declared Syrian refugees persona non grata. And the longstanding debate over illegal immigration has mutated into concerns about Muslims.
Billionaire Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner, prompted outrage with a call for all Muslims to be registered in a government database.
Cruz, rising steadily in polls, has expressed opposition to Muslim Syrian refugees, while candidate Jeb Bush wants to prioritize aid to Syrian Christians.
With Obama travelling in Asia, the White House has struggled to convince Americans that the refugee vetting process is reliable.
The president's rebuke of "hysteria" over Syrian migrants fell on deaf ears in the Republican camp. Half of Americans oppose welcoming Syrian refugees, according to a Bloomberg poll Thursday.
Meanwhile, jittery Americans reportedly have urged airlines to pull Arabic-speaking or other Muslim passengers off of some US flights because they were afraid to fly with them.
- European jihadists -
In light of the central role French and Belgian jihadists played in the attacks, US lawmakers want to limit the decades-old program that allows visa-free travel to the United States for citizens of 38 countries, which they warn could be abused by extremists in Europe.
Senator Rand Paul wants additional background checks for those using the system, while Democrats have proposed barring from the program anyone who has travelled to Syria or Iraq within the last five years.
Democrats also are targeting gun laws as they seek to close a loophole that allows tourists arriving without visas to buy firearms.
Gripes against the European Union have risen. Those on the right and left alike criticize Europe's porous borders, and EU intelligence services have come in for particular criticism for failing to share sufficient passenger data with their US counterparts.
- Fight against IS -
The most aggressive concerns have focused on national security and Washington's strategy against IS, which Republicans blast as woefully inadequate under Obama's leadership.
Republicans have grown increasingly bold in calling for ground troops to fight the jihadists: Longshot presidential hopeful Senator Lindsey Graham said he wants 10,000 US troops deployed as part of an international coalition battling the Islamic State group.
Jeb Bush, whose father and brother both deployed troops to fight wars in the Middle East when they were president, said it was time to "intensify our efforts in the air and on the ground" to fight IS.
Stung by the last Iraq war, Democrats are more reserved. But Hillary Clinton is talking tough, calling for a "new phase" in actions against IS and stressing that the goal must be to "defeat and destroy" the group.
Even her nomination rival, democratic socialist Senator Bernie Sanders, declared "I am not a pacifist."
But the Paris horror has magnified the differences between the two parties, said public communication professor Leonard Steinhorn of American University.
While the threat posed by IS already loomed large in the US political debate, "it's become far more tangible, far more real," he told AFP. "It's not just something that's happening in 'faraway lands.'"
But the politics in the United States -- as in France -- "is increasingly driven by partisanship and polarization," he said.
National leaders will face "far more resistance when attempting to speak for the entire nation or define the national interest."
One week after terror struck in Paris, the attacks dominate the US political debate as President Barack Obama struggles to calm “hysteria” targeting Syria refugees and Muslims, and his adversaries slam his anti-jihadist strategy as too little, too late.
The Republican and Democratic parties, each pressing their own agenda, have seized on the deadly attacks to call for reforms on US policies ranging from refugees, immigration and military strategy in the Middle East to intelligence sharing, firearms and more.
– Refugees, Muslims –
On the night of the Paris assault, ultra-conservative Republican White House hopeful Senator Ted Cruz started calling for closing America’s doors to Syrian refugees in order to prevent any infiltration by Islamic State extremists.
Within days, much of the Republican Party followed suit, with the House of Representatives voting Thursday to suspend Syrian and Iraqi refugee arrivals until a stricter vetting process is in place.
The bill could die in the Senate, but the clash over refugees continues. In Tennessee, Republicans have called for rounding up and expelling the 30 Syrians who were resettled in the state this year.
Half the nation’s governors have declared Syrian refugees persona non grata. And the longstanding debate over illegal immigration has mutated into concerns about Muslims.
Billionaire Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner, prompted outrage with a call for all Muslims to be registered in a government database.
Cruz, rising steadily in polls, has expressed opposition to Muslim Syrian refugees, while candidate Jeb Bush wants to prioritize aid to Syrian Christians.
With Obama travelling in Asia, the White House has struggled to convince Americans that the refugee vetting process is reliable.
The president’s rebuke of “hysteria” over Syrian migrants fell on deaf ears in the Republican camp. Half of Americans oppose welcoming Syrian refugees, according to a Bloomberg poll Thursday.
Meanwhile, jittery Americans reportedly have urged airlines to pull Arabic-speaking or other Muslim passengers off of some US flights because they were afraid to fly with them.
– European jihadists –
In light of the central role French and Belgian jihadists played in the attacks, US lawmakers want to limit the decades-old program that allows visa-free travel to the United States for citizens of 38 countries, which they warn could be abused by extremists in Europe.
Senator Rand Paul wants additional background checks for those using the system, while Democrats have proposed barring from the program anyone who has travelled to Syria or Iraq within the last five years.
Democrats also are targeting gun laws as they seek to close a loophole that allows tourists arriving without visas to buy firearms.
Gripes against the European Union have risen. Those on the right and left alike criticize Europe’s porous borders, and EU intelligence services have come in for particular criticism for failing to share sufficient passenger data with their US counterparts.
– Fight against IS –
The most aggressive concerns have focused on national security and Washington’s strategy against IS, which Republicans blast as woefully inadequate under Obama’s leadership.
Republicans have grown increasingly bold in calling for ground troops to fight the jihadists: Longshot presidential hopeful Senator Lindsey Graham said he wants 10,000 US troops deployed as part of an international coalition battling the Islamic State group.
Jeb Bush, whose father and brother both deployed troops to fight wars in the Middle East when they were president, said it was time to “intensify our efforts in the air and on the ground” to fight IS.
Stung by the last Iraq war, Democrats are more reserved. But Hillary Clinton is talking tough, calling for a “new phase” in actions against IS and stressing that the goal must be to “defeat and destroy” the group.
Even her nomination rival, democratic socialist Senator Bernie Sanders, declared “I am not a pacifist.”
But the Paris horror has magnified the differences between the two parties, said public communication professor Leonard Steinhorn of American University.
While the threat posed by IS already loomed large in the US political debate, “it’s become far more tangible, far more real,” he told AFP. “It’s not just something that’s happening in ‘faraway lands.'”
But the politics in the United States — as in France — “is increasingly driven by partisanship and polarization,” he said.
National leaders will face “far more resistance when attempting to speak for the entire nation or define the national interest.”
