Article Five of the North Atlantic Treaty clearly states “an armed attack against one or more of them [NATO members] in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all” (EU Observer, June 10, 2015). However, “More than half of Germans, Italians, and French are opposed to using military force to help a NATO ally in a conflict with Russia, according to a survey published by US think tank Pew on Wednesday (10 June).

Recently “the UN has come under fire for failing to act after it prepared an initial 2014 report into alleged child sexual abuse committed by soldiers from France, Chad and Equatorial Guinea…” (Deutsche Welle, June 3, 2015).

The Battle of Waterloo, which took place ten miles south of Brussels, was arguably one of the most important and historic of all European battles. It ended the French imperialistic ambitions that had convulsed much of Europe in armed conflict over the preceding 20 years and paved the way for Britain’s emerging global dominance as the foremost maritime nation and commercial superpower.

Many consider that the single most significant legal document in history is Magna Carta. Consequently, there will be much fanfare on June 15, 2015, the 800th anniversary since its ratification in 1215 by King John and his dissatisfied barons. But, amidst all the celebrations and media coverage, have we forgotten a vitally important point of even greater significance?

Brutal Actions by ISIS: A United Nations envoy on sexual violence recently stated that “Teenage girls abducted by Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria are being sold in slave markets ‘for as little as a pack of cigarettes’” (The Guardian, June 8, 2015).