Brussels attacks – in memoriam

After the Paris attacks in November, I hoped that would be the last time such a massive attack struck at the heart of Europe. Today, it happened again, in Brussels, and at least 34 people have lost their lives in a senseless attack. The bombs in the Brussels airport and the Maalbeek metro stop, at the heart of the EU quarter of the city, are not just an attack on Brussels, which like Paris has a knack for joie de vivre like few other places. It also targeted the EU, which is already under assault from the refugee crisis and a rising tide of hate-based politics. Lithuania is, as I already pointed out after the Paris attacks, a living example of what happens when the dark forces in the world get out of hand. If anything, the response to today’s atrocities must be to strengthen our resolve not to let such events drive us further down the path of vengefulness, hate, fear and isolationism.