No, "America was targeted for attack… because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity," declared President George W. Bush. It was the work, he asserted, of "enemies of freedom."

Now, following the deadly strikes in Paris, the narrative is similar. It had nothing to do with France's foreign policy, according to Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. He said the strikes were against French values and French way of life: "What they do not accept is, it is not our actions – it is what we are" and they "don't accept the fact that we dance."

However, a witness featured on BEM television heard one terrorist shout, "What you are doing in Syria, you are going to pay for it now." So, was it about "actions"? Was the attacker referencing the financial and military support of Sunni Islamist militias by France, the US and Arab League to overthrow the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad that has resulted in the death of over 250,000 Syrians, displaced half its population and caused 4 million refugees to flee the bloodshed?