Addressing Terrorism Prepared for Anticipating, Preventing and Combating Terrorism
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KI-02-16-450-EN-C European societies, national governments and institutions of the European Union are currently facing an important challenge. Terrorist attacks hit France, Denmark and Belgium between 2014 and 2016, aÿer several other deadly terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and France in previous years. This specific terrorist phenomenon is new. Europeans need to understand what has happened and to be better Addressing Terrorism prepared for anticipating, preventing and combating terrorism. The quality of the diagnosis is key to the efficiency of adequate policies. This Review thus aims to take stock of the available scientific knowledge on this new form of terrorism and suggest briefly what more should be done to increase this European Research in social sciences and the humanities knowledge. Chapter 1 of the Review presents an overview of the approach that has dominated research over the last ten years: namely the notion of in support to policies for Inclusion and Security “radicalisation”. It also analyses the most important research projects funded by the EU under Framework Programme 7 (FP7) in this area in order to assess their contributions to the current inclusion and security challenges in Europe. Chapter 2 outlines why and how research lines could be broadened in order to understand the current terrorist phenomenon of jihadism. It also presents the most promising research trends. A brief Conclusion sums up the main findings of the report and presents a series of recommendations in order to steer and A Policy Review support lines of research to better equip the EU with inclusion and security policies to address contemporary terrorism. 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EUROPEAN COMMISSION Directorate-General for Research and Innovation Directorate B – Open Innovation and Open Science Unit B.6 – Open and inclusive Societies Contact: Zoltán Krasznai and Laura Hetel E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] European Commission B-1049 Brussels EUROPEAN COMMISSION Addressing Terrorism European Research in social sciences and the humanities in support to policies for Inclusion and Security A Policy Review* Prepared by Prof Gilles Kepel and Prof Bernard Rougier Under contract CT-EX2015D255177-101 and CT-EX2015D255062-101 *The views expressed reflect only those of the authors Gilles Kepel is Professor at Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (Ecole Normale Supérieure) and Sciences Po Bernard Rougier is Professor of Arab and Oriental Studies at Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris Directorate-General for Research and Innovation 2016 Open and inclusive Societies PolicyReviewOnAdressingTerrosim_KI-02-16-450-EN-C_PRINT.indd 1 11/07/16 17:49 In Directorate General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission, Unit Open and Inclusive Societies, the work was coordinated by Philippe Keraudren and Zoltán Krasznai with input from Anne Nielsen, Laura Hetel and Elisabeth Lipiatou. Catherine Lemaire provided editorial assistance. Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union Freephone number (*): 0080067891011 (*) The information given is free, as are most calls (though some operators, phone boxes or hotels may charge you). LEGAL NOTICE This document has been prepared for the European Commission however it reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. More information on the European Union is available on the internet (http://europa.eu). Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2016 Print ISBN 978-92-79-58267-7 doi:10.2777/821900 KI-02-16-450-EN-C PDF ISBN 978-92-79-58268-4 doi:10.2777/466753 KI-02-16-450-EN-N © European Union, 2016 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Image(s) © twinandphoto, #91297684, 2016. Source: Fotolia.com PolicyReviewOnAdressingTerrosim_KI-02-16-450-EN-C_PRINT.indd 2 11/07/16 17:49 Foreword The threat of terrorism is one of the most unsettling challenges of our time. Recent attacks have strengthened the European Union’s resolve to eradicate terrorism, its root causes and support networks. They also highlighted the need to revisit and improve our knowledge of terrorism, so that we can improve policies for security. Public authorities share a common responsibility to ensure the security of their citizens, while safeguarding European values of freedom, tolerance and solidarity. The European Union contributes to this by providing tools and support to Member States to help them address this common challenge. The root causes and structures of terrorism have clearly changed in the last few years. Radical organisations have been successful in recruiting worrying numbers of young European citizens, born and raised in Europe, who go on to commit violent acts both inside and outside our borders. This violence targets the fundamental values of the European Union − from democracy, the protection of fundamental rights and civil liberties, to pluralism, tolerance and the promotion of inclusive societies. This policy review makes a strong case for the role of research, particularly in the social sciences and humanities, in tackling terrorism. It summarises the recent developments and research findings that have improved our understanding of the specific nature of the terrorist threat we currently face, its root causes, ideological underpinnings and dynamic complexity. This policy review also demonstrates the need for more empirical, comparative and interdisciplinary research on the social, individual, demographic and cultural dimensions of violent radicalisation. Further studying for instance the specific contexts in which young people are exposed to extremist movements, such as prisons and social media, and developing tools to counter terrorist narratives and recruitment should be a priority. Evidence and tools from the social sciences and humanities can and should be used to inform and empower all relevant groups, including local communities, schools, families, civil and private organisations, institutions and policymakers. By combining our efforts at all levels, we can better prevent radicalisation and fight violent extremism while promoting an open, inclusive and resilient society. Frans Timmermans First Vice President of the European Commission Carlos Moedas European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation PolicyReviewOnAdressingTerrosim_KI-02-16-450-EN-C_PRINT.indd 3 11/07/16 17:49 PolicyReviewOnAdressingTerrosim_KI-02-16-450-EN-C_PRINT.indd 4 11/07/16 17:49 Contents Foreword................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction............................................................................................................. 7 Chapter 1. The worlds of radicalisation ..................................................11 “Radicalisation” – a set of different phenomena?......................................11 Islamist radicalisation in Europe: between a sociology of action and a critique of institutions..................................................................................16 European research programmes on radicalisation and terrorism....20 Chapter 2. Building a new paradigm to understand the specificity of jihadist terrorism ............................................................29 The nature of jihadism in Europe: a historical and geo-political approach............................................................29 Social and psychological aspects of the jihadist phenomenon in contemporary Europe ...........................................................................................35 Conclusions............................................................................................................43 References .............................................................................................................47 PolicyReviewOnAdressingTerrosim_KI-02-16-450-EN-C_PRINT.indd 5 11/07/16 17:49 Introduction PolicyReviewOnAdressingTerrosim_KI-02-16-450-EN-C_PRINT.indd 6 11/07/16 17:49 7 Introduction The terrorist attacks that hit France, Denmark and Belgium between 2014 and 2016, aþer several other deadly terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and France in previous years, made it obvious that European societies, national governments and institutions of the European Union are facing a considerable and unprecedented challenge. Through their shocking violence, these attacks were intended to strike at the heart of Europe by causing social and political unrest and by calling into question Europe’s principles on religious diversity, tolerance, human rights and democracy1. These acts of violence trigger questions such