Current Trends in the Development of International Terrorism: A Current Understanding of the Problem

Keywords: international terrorism, political extremism, periodisation, civil conflicts, asymmetric actions

Abstract

The study examines the development of international terrorism and the problem of its definition. Consequently, the objective of the study was to generate a systemic view of international terrorism and to identify current trends in its development. A structural and functional analysis of international terrorism as a political phenomenon was used. Based on the analytical model provided, the development of international terrorism was divided into periods based on political and geographical zoning. Three consistent principles determine the key characteristics of international terrorism as a rational strategy of unconventional political struggle: the transition to asymmetrical actions, attacks on symbolic objects, and influencing public opinion as the main objective. This triality of characteristics linked to a model of the political process defines the existence of international terrorism as a phenomenon and provides a key to understanding its dynamics. It is concluded that there are four periods in the development of international terrorism, divided into two cycles with breaking points, ascending, and descending phases. The proposed periodization of the development of international terrorism is based on the identification of the centers as political-geographical areas, where contradictions are configured and the political struggle that is part of the logic of the terrorist strategy.

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Author Biographies

Ivo Svoboda, Ambis-Vysokáškola

Associate Professor, Guarantor of Security Management Studies, Ambis-Vysokáškola, Praha, Czech Republic.

Tymur O. Loskutov, Donetsk Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine

Doctor of Law, Professor, Department of Organization of Pre-trial Investigation of Kryvyi Rih Educational and Scientific Institute, Donetsk Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine.

Oleksandra B. Severinova, Donetsk Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine

PhD in Law, Associate Professor, Department of State and Legal Disciplines and Public Administration, Faculty #3, Donetsk Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Mariupol, Ukraine. 

Andriy O. Shulha, Donetsk Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine

PhD in Law, Associate Professor, Department of State and Legal Disciplines and Public Administration, Faculty #3, Donetsk Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Mariupol, Ukraine.

Olha M. Peresada, Donetsk Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine

PhD in Law, Associate Professor, Head of Department of State and Legal Disciplines and Public Administration, Faculty #3, Donetsk Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Mariupol, Ukraine.

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Published
2021-07-15
How to Cite
Svoboda, I., Loskutov, T. O., Severinova, O. B., Shulha, A. O., & Peresada, O. M. (2021). Current Trends in the Development of International Terrorism: A Current Understanding of the Problem. Political Questions, 39(69), 581-604. https://doi.org/10.46398/cuestpol.3969.36
Section
Derecho Público