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What drives terrorism and why? The psychology and behavior of those committing violent acts is a key focus of counterterrorism initiatives. It is important to recognize that there is no single global definition for terrorism, nor are terrorists confined to a single group or ideology. To terrorism researchers who study the salience of terrorism and its importance to citizens, terrorism equates to sending messages beyond the direct victims, and causing low-probability, high-impact threats (de Roy van Zuidewijn & Sciarone, 2019). The content and framing of terrorism through media coverage has transnational impacts. Social media has been described as a battlefield and a global stage where terrorists communicate and spread their propaganda, reach potential recruits, and maintain a level of online anonymity (Schneider, 2021). At times, terrorists successfully commit acts of enormous shock and surprise. A focusing event, like a terrorist attack of the magnitude of the September 11 attacks, is defined to be sudden, relatively rare, and inclusive of violence that is aimed to inflict harm or suggest future harms (de Roy van Zuidewijn & Sciarone, 2019). The excessive costs of terrorism that result from public fears and actions of policy makers who implement countermeasures helps to drive the goal of reducing the “glory of terrorism” and treating terrorists like criminals (Mueller & Stewart). The Institute for Economics and Peace (2021) publishes the annual Global Terrorism Index showing trends and country ratings with respect to terrorism activity. The European Union (EU) through its Radicalisation Awareness Network focuses on local levels for upstream pre-emptive interventions and counters radicalisation by a strategy to prevent terrorism before an attack occurs, protect, pursue, and respond (Melhuish & Heath-Kelly, 2022). Facing similar challenges, the EU and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization use complementary yet different resources to combat hybrid threats and utilize military, political, and economic measures aimed at creating an effective global defense (Olech, 2021). De-radicalization or efforts to change radical ideologies to non-radical ones require governments to be accountable so that implemented measures do not violate such human rights as freedom from fear, or loss of life and property (Praba, 2020). Although the EU has drafted and proposed Terrorist Content Regulation to censure social media platforms, U.S. government regulation of terrorist online propaganda contends with First Amendment freedom of speech and freedom of the press (Schneider, 2021). The most frequent targets of US domestic terrorism are the government, military, and police regardless of the perpetrator’s ideology and association to a particular social movement, whereas other targets include businesses, and individuals who have specific racial, ethnic, religious, or political affiliations (Jones, 2022).

References

de Roy van Zuidewijn, J & Sciarone, J. (2019), Convergence of the salience of terrorism in the European Union before and after terrorist attacks 33(8), 1713-1732. https/doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2019.1647175

Institute for Economics and Peace (2021, June 8). Global terrorism index 2020: Measuring the impact of terrorism. Retrieved January 31, 2023, from https://www.reliefweb. int/report/world/global-terrorism-index-2020-measuring-impact-terrorism

Jones, S. (2022, February 17). The evolution of domestic terrorism. Center for Strategic and International Studies. https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep39859

Mueller, J., & Stewart, M. (2021), Terrorism and bathtubs: Comparing and assessing the risks. Terrorism and Political Violence, 33(1), 138-163. https:/doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2018.1530662

Melhuish, F., & Heath-Kelly, C. (2022). Fighting terrorism at the local level: The European Union, radicalisation prevention and the negotiation of subsidiarity. European Security, 31(2), 313–333. https://doi.org/10.1080/09662839.2021.2009458

Olech, A. (2021, March 17). Cooperation between NATO and the European Union against hybrid threats with a particular emphasis on terrorism. Institute of New Europe. Retrieved January 31, 2023, from https://www.ine.org.pl/en/cooperation-between-nato-and-the- Links to an external site.european-union-against-hybrid-threats-with-a-particular-emphasis-on-terrorism/

Praba, D. (2020). De-radicalization and guidance for criminal acts of terrorism in India. Ganesha Law Review 2(1), 37-43. https://doi.org/10.23887/glr.v2i1.118

Schneider, M. (2021). Terror on the Internet: Comparing the United States and European Union social media regulations to prevent terrorism. Indiana International & Comparative Law Review, 31(3), 529–562. https://doi.org/10.18060/25756