The author reflects on the Paris neighborhood he knew growing up in the 1980s, a place he prized for its diversity, including a sizable Muslim community.
ISIS has now claimed responsibility for major terror attacks in France, Egypt and Lebanon. This could galvanize its enemies to take stronger action against the extremist group, some analysts say.
As France copes with shocking violence, the death toll from Friday night's attacks is not yet final and details are beginning to emerge about the attackers.
Eyewitnesses at sites across Paris — inside soccer stadiums, trapped inside cafes or blocked from heading home — describe chaos, confusion and carnage during the coordinated terrorist attacks Friday.
France has reinstated border controls that Europe had abandoned in recent years as they reel from Friday night's terrorist attacks that left at least 129 dead.
ISIS has been focused on building a caliphate in the Middle East. But its claim of responsibility for the carnage in Paris shows it can unleash a powerful, coordinated attack far from its home turf.
The French capital has been rocked by shootings and an explosion in six locations. French police stormed and took control of one location. At least five attackers have been killed.
Credit (or blame) goes to France, which wanted more babies in the 19th century. Like most government plans to influence birthrate, it didn't quite work.