After the Paris attacks, it was the turn of Brussels to be the victim of a horrendous attack perpetrated by IS, leaving 31dead and over 200 injured. Once again, the entire world is speechless and stunned as to how such an event could have happened again.

The targeted Brussels airport and the metro were not chosen randomly. Brussels hosts the Nato headquarters. Focusing on landmarks close to the European Commission building was a strategic decision.

Such attacks leave the world with a strong feeling of insecurity due to their unpredictability.

On the day of the Brussels attacks, on French television, politicians attempted to reassure people by giving possible reasons as to how intelligence failed to anticipate and prevent the attacks. Subsequently, the French media constantly informed audiences/readers about the security checks being carried out in several locations in France and the extensive security measures planned.

Words such as identification control, body search and random checking, are everywhere. To access any airport, travellers would have to present their flight ticket at the entrance to the airport and then pass their luggage through an x-ray scanner and themselves go through security gates.

However, will these reinforced security dispositions (if applicable) keep people’s fear under control? Will this help prevent attackers from falling through the cracks? It is hard to know and probably tricky to answer also because, by speaking about issues of public interest but, when they talk about strategic defence, the media could be giving information that might help IS plan their future attacks.

Such attacks remind us how vulnerable we are. As all this happens, we seem to be living a nightmare that will not go away.