The strategies of terrorism and counterterrorism are primarily focused on influencing people’s behavior and the perception of authorities. In this regard, terrorist networks strive to shape human behavior that contradicts socially accepted patterns. At the same time, counterterrorism efforts by the authorities create behavior that maintains the perceived legitimacy of the population. Therefore, the influence of the government on people’s behavior is a necessary factor in preventing the emergence of terrorist groups. In general, the population’s behavior and perception of the authorities and society largely determine the possibility of the emergence of terrorist networks.
The influence on human behavior is necessary to convince people to follow specific ideas and perform corresponding actions. Terrorist networks emerge as a result of discontent of individual groups with the situation in a country or region. In this regard, terrorist groups tend to develop a pattern of behavior in their potential members aimed at opposing the established order. For instance, focusing on the specific values of justice in the group is a factor in modifying people’s behavior to create behavior against the legal system (Hartley, 2021). In the context of counterterrorism efforts, the authorities may primarily influence behavior by implementing a legal system that prevents the emergence of terrorist networks. For example, authorities can utilize laws that allow people to reclaim their needs to participate in society without radicalizing behavior (Shortland, 2020). In addition, maintaining a sufficient level of freedom in various spheres of activity, such as science and culture, is a factor in reducing the probability of the emergence of terrorist organizations. Overall, influencing the behavior of individuals and groups is the essential factor determining the effectiveness of terrorist groups and counterterrorist efforts by the authorities.
Perceived legitimacy reflects the population’s perception of the state’s ability to influence the domestic environment significantly. Legitimacy influences terrorist networks and counterterrorist efforts significantly because it interacts directly with these concepts. The formation of terrorist groups depends on the perception of state legitimacy and is an expression of the group’s disagreement with the state (Hartley, 2021). Hence, the lack of perceived legitimacy in society makes the emergence of terrorist networks possible. In this case, counterterrorism efforts determine the level of perceived legitimacy. The effectiveness of the state’s fight against terrorists is an indicator of the authorities’ ability to maintain the established order and ensure their perception of legitimacy by the population. In addition, the inability of the authorities to effectively confront terrorism harms perceived legitimacy because it indicates a lack of state capacity. The use of inappropriate profiling methods for potential terrorists by law enforcement agencies is also a factor that diminishes the perceived legitimacy of the authorities (McGuirk, 2021). Thus, perceived legitimacy is essential in terrorist networks and counterterrorist actions because it is mutually dependent on these concepts.
Terrorism and counterterrorism significantly influence society’s perception of the state as they affect people’s conduct. Terrorist groups appeal to the illegitimacy of government, thereby questioning the rationality of accepted social attitudes. At the same time, counterterrorism strategies predominantly use social norms of behavior to prevent the emergence of terrorist groups. Hence, terrorism and counterterrorism measures directly correlate with society’s perception of power and the behavior built around it. Furthermore, perceived legitimacy depends on the authorities’ ability to carry out counterterrorism measures and decreases when there are problems related to terrorism. In general, the nature of terrorism is significantly related to the population’s behavior regarding the perception of state legitimacy.
References
Hartley, J. (2021). Counter-terrorism community engagement: Pitfalls and opportunities. Routledge.
McGuirk, N. (2021). Terrorist profiling and law enforcement Detection, prevention, deterrence. Routledge.
Shortland, N. (2020). The psychology of terrorism. Routledge.