The European Union (EU) has been engaged in the fight against terrorism as far back as the 1970s, triggered by attacks at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. The EU’s counter-terrorism plans call for the vigorous promotion of security, justice, democracy and opportunity for all. But to what extent have such aims proved compatible and consistently pursued?
Despite its initial success, the Palestine Liberation Organisation was never able to achieve its ultimate political objective by using terrorist tactics. The PLO’s turn to global terror tactics, and the immense amount of media exposure that move generated, only magnified their inability to move away from their formerly violent agenda.
The German sociologist Max Weber claimed “the state is the form of human community that (successfully) lays claim to the monopoly on legitimate physical violence.” This is essentially a statement about state sovereignty. This essay suggests that while only the most extreme and systemic examples of a state abusing its power could properly be called state terrorism, the concept is not a contradiction in terms when derived from dominant conceptions of sovereignty.
The Realist emphasis on military strength does not conclusively explain world politics. For a school of thought focusing on power, Realism misunderstands what it means to ‘have power’. The failure of Israel to gain security demonstrates the contextual and contingent nature of power, and how military capacity is not the means to all ends.
This dissertation attempts to determine the impact of democratisation in helping undermine terrorism, by reaching a democratic compromise between all parties (as in Northern Ireland), or by delegitimising terrorist groups’ goals and means in the eyes of their audience (as in the Basque Country).
The contrast between the nationalistic sentiment of self-determination emphasised in the First Chechen War and the rhetorical transition towards radical Islam in the Second Chechen War has been highlighted by many as evidence of the significance of the Chechen conflict in the global ‘War on Terror’. This essay will examine how Russia has managed to illustrate the Chechen conflict in terms of a global fight against international Islamic terrorism.
Female terrorists are viewed using one frame and so terrorist acts are not analysed honestly. Despite the fact that these narratives are supportive of patriarchy and gender subordination, perhaps the most important issue with the way female terrorists are represented is that it presents an unfinished picture of terrorism and international politics.
Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) terrorism is often portrayed as one of the greatest threats facing the world. But to the rational terrorist, acting with concern to the strategic considerations of external support, possible retaliation and mass-casualty outcomes, CBRN weapons are of limited appeal.
The typical approaches to warfare, force, offence, defence and deterrence, do not necessarily cross over into cyber conflicts, be they for cyber warfare or countering cyber-terrorism. The world of network interactions changes the rules of the game, where the attackers can more easily remain anonymous, and the targets can be anything that is on an open network.
Radical Islam has come to play a very significant position within the international realm. It has taken terrorism, which was always a weapon of the weak, though usually with little perceived effect, and created what can be seen as a quite considerable challenge to globalisation and the international community.
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