As terror attacks increase, Paul Rogers says the "war on terror" is a terrible mistake

Two dramatic and bloody events dominated the news at the end of the week — both unfolded live on social media and cable television, before the eyes of a shocked world.

On Thursday evening, Mohamed Bouhlel drove a 19-tonne truck through crowds of families watching fireworks from a sea-side promenade in Nice. Several hundred were wounded; more than 80, died. Bouhlel was a French resident, originally from Tunisia.  ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack, and France's interior minister has now said that Bouhlel had been radicalized.

Then on Friday, factions of the Turkish army attempted to overturn the democratic government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Tanks were in the streets, shots were fired, TV stations were closed. But Erdoğan, addressing the nation through Facetime, urged supporters to pour out into the streets to stop the army — which they did.  By Saturday, the coup had been extinguished, at the cost of hundreds of lives. Thousands have been arrested.        

When global events defy our attempts to make sense of the world, we at The Sunday Edition, often turn to Paul Rogers. He is Professor of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom, and his books include Why We're Losing the War on Terror, and Losing Control: Global Security in the 21st Century.

His latest book was published just hours before the Nice attack. It's called Irregular War: ISIS and the New Threats from the Margins, and is already receiving critical acclaim.

Guest host Laura Lynch spoke to Paul Rogers about the attack in Nice and the attempted coup in Turkey on Saturday morning. Click the 'play' button above to hear their conversation.