Since Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was appointed back in September he has championed that there has never been a more exciting time to be an Australian. In a speech to the Center for Strategic and International studies in Washington DC on Monday, he reiterated this sentiment whilst advocating for a targeted, strategic approach to combating ISIL from the combined Allied Forces. His speech has been highly regarded and, so far the reception has been positive despite him quoting Thucydides... Twice. Whilst there may have never been a more exciting time to be an Australian, from my recent experience there is now a palpable hesitancy when traveling around the globe.
In 2014/5 I spent six months studying in the United Kingdom and backpacking around Europe and over the last two months I have travelled back to England and am currently in the United States. Having traveled then, and being abroad right now I can see there has been a definite shift in how secure people are feeling living and working in major cities around the world. There is a real fear that something is going to happen. I was in Germany during the Charlie Hedbo attack, having just come from Paris, and even in the aftermath, with all the heightened security, never did I feel that people were overtly concerned about their welfare. Yes it was accepted that it was worrying to think a group of respected journalists could be targeted in such a gruesome crime, but generally, feelings were of sorrow not terror. Flying back into England a fortnight later I was greeted with a familiarity that I had come to recognise, a safe protecting environment, with everything returning to normal. A month later I spent time backpacking East and West Europe and it was almost as if the Paris attack had not happened.
December 1, 2015 I left Australia, bound for the United Kingdom once again just a few mere months after the second, more deadly Paris attack and a feeling of trepidation fell upon me. Arriving in a country historically known for its pacifist nature, where police officers usually lacked armed weapons and citizens are generally known for their reserved nature, I could tell something that had changed. In just an eight month period, the country with whom I had fallen in love had transformed from a place of acceptance and endless possibilities to one of worry and hesitancy. In a city where months beforehand I could have counted on one hand how many armed guards I saw in six months, traveling along the Underground Tube system, at every station I saw a number Special Forces Officers. I spent some time visiting my old university, traveling to northern England and at every train station there were armed guards standing on all the platforms. Back in London if the tube stopped unexpectedly between stations (quite a normal occurrence) people would actively look around the carriage expecting to see something out of place. It was a strange feeling knowing that fellow passengers are sizing you up to see if you are the cause of the problem. That is not to say that people no longer go out in London, nor are people necessarily targeting certain sectors of society; quite the opposite in fact but rather there is an added layer of caution when planning to meet family and friends in a public place. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the unexpected. Worry.
Traveling back, I naïvely expected things to be the same as last time. I imagined a place that still shone with the beauty of history and the excitement of anything is achievable. A country that never sleeps. The stark reality of what I saw was frightening. That is not to say a walk along the Thames was fraught with danger, nor am I implying that England was not an enjoyable place; however in the three weeks I spend there, I got the impression that people had a definite feeling of inevitability, that something bad will happen. They do not know where or when but something will happen at some point; and that is truly horrifying.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said in his speech that we need the right boots on the right grounds in a collaborative effort on many fronts to be be able to eliminate ISIL and I do hope that something is done soon, because is a country like England can change so rapidly in less than a year, what hope is there for 2016?
