The last several decades could be characterized by the increased tension in the international relations and numerous threats to security that are posed by the evolution of different phenomena peculiar to the coherent society. The rise of technologies and great paces of globalization resulted in significant shifts in people’s mentality. Thus, these also gave rise to numerous civil conflicts in different parts of the world which preconditioned the appearance of problems related to the preservation of public peace, protection of the existing world order, and human rights. Besides, the given task is extremely complex as certain forces oppose it and are interested in the creation of certain turmoil that could be used to obtain a competitive advantage and make their position stronger. Unfortunately, along with the ideas of tolerance and democracy, we could still admit the rise of such horrible phenomena as discrimination, religious fanaticism, and violent extremism. Very often these aspects come together and make the international situation even more complex.
Besides, violent extremism often comes along with terrorism as these notions are closely related and could even change off each other. Both terrorism and extremism could be considered one of the most disgusting social stigmas peculiar to modern society. The rise of the terrorist threat could be associated with the September 11 attacks performed by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda. The given event shocked the whole world and opened a new page in the history of struggle with violent extremism. Society has recognized the great necessity of the investigation of the given notion to be able to create an appropriate response and strategy on how to protect people from it and guarantee their security. Unfortunately, there are still no signs of improvement, and the threat remains significant. For this reason, numerous researches provide causation theories of violent extremism and reasons for its further rise. Moreover, scientists try to utilize the existing data and formulate the theory that could be applied to determine further perspectives related to the evolution of the given issue.
Besides, numerous websites collect the data related to all suicide terrorist attacks and provide their brief description. Thus, exploring the Suicide Attack Database, we could find the information about all terrorist acts of this sort. Unfortunately, statistics remain depressing. There is credible evidence which states that in the period from 2000 to 2016 years the number of incidents of this sort did not reduce (Chicago Project on Security and Terrorism par. 3). On the contrary, there is a tendency towards the further deterioration of the situation. Observing the map provided there, we could see that the Middle East remains the most dangerous region characterized by hundreds of terrorist attacks (Chicago Project on Security and Terrorism par. 1). Despite all attempts to improve security and decrease the number of accidents, people still could not feel protected. Additionally, being the main source of turmoil, these regions could also be considered the main exporters of the terrorist threat to both neighboring and far states. Violent extremism became an integral part of everyday life there. This fact could be preconditioned by the tense relations between the representatives of different religious sects and numerous civil conflicts in the region. Besides, the rise of religious fanaticism comes along with the spread of extremist ideas, and the great number of suicide bombers could be considered the best evidence of these words as the majority of individuals who carried out a terrorist act of this sort belonged to Islam and were zealous believers.
Nevertheless, there are still several positive tendencies that should be admitted. Utilizing the data from Global Terrorism Database (GTD), we could observe the tendency towards the gradual decrease in the number of terrorist attacks in Western Europe and North America in 2000-2012 (“Incidents 2000-2015. Line Chart” par.1). It means that the increased attention devoted to this aspect and numerous investigations contributed to the creation of an efficient strategy to struggle against the violent extremism, eliminate the roots for its appearance, and mitigate its negative impact. Therefore, the creation of specific causation theories also contributed to improved outcomes. Thus, GTD shows us that since the year 2012 a significant increase in the number of attacks could be admitted (“Incidents 2000-2015. Line Chart” par. 1). It means that the character of the threat has altered and extremists found new ways to carry out acts of this sort. Additionally, this fact also demonstrates shifts in the mentality and motifs of people who use terrorism as the remedy. Unfortunately, the latest events like the rise of ISIS, a great number of refugees, and the religious opposition create the ground for the further deterioration of the situation in the given sphere.
For this reason, to solve the existing problem and create a new and efficient approach it is vital to understand the main motifs and ideas that impact terrorists. However, Dawson and Amarasingam in their paper Trying to Talk to Terrorists: Ethical and Methodological Challenges in Canada state that the majority of the investigators of this aspect are either reluctant or unable to speak to these people (1). Additionally, they admit the lack of studies that are based on primary data and investigate the roots for the appearance of the threat of this sort. For this reason, they suggest an interview as an efficient tool to collect the information needed to understand the theoretical causation for violent extremism and acquire improved knowledge in this discourse. However, this task might be complicated because a desire to talk to terrorists might be given incorrect interpretation and a person might be blamed for sympathizing with them (Dawson and Amarasingam 4).
Altogether, despite all attempts to struggle against violent extremism and mitigate its negative aftermath, there is still much to be done to protect citizens and preserve peace. The lack of primary data combined with the poor understanding of the motifs that impact terrorists prevent researchers from the improved comprehending of the issue and creation of the appropriate strategy needed to decrease the number of attacks.
Works Cited
Chicago Project on Security and Terrorism. “Suicide Attack Database.” Web.
Dawson, Lorne and Amaranth Amarasingam. “Trying to Talk to Terrorists: Ethical and Methodological Challenges in Canada.” TSAS, no. 16-13, 2016, Web.
“Incidents 2000-2015. Line Chart.” Global Terrorism Database, Web.