Counter-terror experts largely agree that the US does not face the same risks of terrorist attacks as Europe. Though two weeks of international attacks – 129 dead in France, 224 dead on a Russian passenger jet leaving Egypt, 43 dead in Lebanon – have forced intelligence analysts and administration officials to concede that they underestimated the reach of Islamic State extremists. The US has at least two advantages it has counted on for centuries: geography and strict travel restrictions. Former White House official Heather Hurlburt told the Guardian, “when you’re talking about logistically sophisticated attack geography's non-trivial.”