It’s an uphill battle for the Trump administration to convince the EU that the US will not abandon its Western allies.


Martin Reardon is a Senior Vice President with The Soufan Group, a New York-based strategic security and intelligence consultancy, and Senior Director... of Qatar International Academy for Security Studies. He is a 21-year veteran of the FBI, and specialised in counterterrorism operations.
It’s an uphill battle for the Trump administration to convince the EU that the US will not abandon its Western allies.

EU must deal with the threat of terrorist attacks from a security standpoint as well as socially and politically.
![Police control the access to the central train station following Tuesday''s bomb attacks in Brussels, Belgium [REUTERS]](/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/4fb646df1a7045f79e9f488909114cb0_18.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
If the two rival governments are not reconciled, ISIL and al-Qaeda will strengthen their hold in Libya.
![Libya is trying to fight a reputation of being fertile ground for al-Qaeda through signs like this painted outside a media centre [Getty]](/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/a680f747b8a34b1a824df43638d4f0e4_18.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
The foreign fighter phenomenon is a double-edged sword; it kills and maims on the way into Syria and the way out.
![ISIL fighter waving a flag while standing on captured government fighter jet in Raqqa, Syria [Getty]](/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/ac55ee1ac03d435080f160f777c70fac_18.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
The difficulty in monitoring grassroots terrorist activities render many countries fragile to such attacks.

ISIL’s recent display of savagery exposes the group’s growing paranoia over spies and informants.

Patriot Act supporters are overreacting.
![The US Capitol is illuminated at dusk in Washington, DC [Getty]](/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/485f5eea1b7e49f88273f11153745a7b_18.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
A new generation of leaders could provide the continuity necessary for Saudi Arabia’s long term security and prosperity.
![Saudi Arabia''s King Salman [AP]](/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/24d8e403849b44d0b87fc6197190f51a_18.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
For more than 30 years, the Saudis have been engaged in a strategic rivalry with Iran for influence in the Middle East.
![Saudi Defence Minister Prince Mohammad bin Salman and Saudi interior Minister and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef arrive to the military operation room in Riyadh [Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/5f5e505a54004b64b8e0b782c6cfa189_18.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
The Yemen card is a strategic bargaining chip that Iran may now be holding vis-a-vis the sudden rise of the Houthis.
![Yemen could serve as a friendly base of operations in Iran's rivalry against Saudi Arabia, writes Reardon [EPA]](/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/20149299125300734_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)