The region has the most terrorist incidents in the entire world according to the global terrorism database. An empirical analysis of terrorism in the middle east and africa 3 an empirical analysis of terrorism in the middle east and africa i. Senate, committee on foreign relations, subcommittee on near eastern and central asian affairs july 25, 2012. It now is a global terrorist threat that draws financial and logistical support from its. This means that the current issues and growth of terrorism in the middle east is consistently progressing. The way westerners think about islamist terrorism has grown dangerously outdated. Pdf this paper interrogates the role of the middle east in international terrorism and the spillovers of this on global security. After clicking register, you will receive an email with a link to verify your account and to complete your registration. Perhaps the biggest change in the region would be a further u. Forget the middle eastits time to prepare for attacks from the former soviet union. The collapse of the islamic states caliphate and the military campaign that drove the group underground is a win for the trump administration, the united states and the world as a whole.
Terrorism in the middle east essay example graduateway. Answers stating that there is more terrorism, in terms of deaths, outside the radius surrounding the middle east, including central asia and northern africa, are incorrect. Sep 01, 2016 the middle east will remain a source of terrorism by prof. Why we should measure the economic impact of terrorism in.
So it seems a critical oversight that studies have not attempted to estimate the total cost of terrorism in the middle east, given that this region has seen the sharpest increase in terrorism pdf during the past 15 years. Fpri, 1528 walnut street, suite 610, philadelphia, pa 191023684. The first terrorists early zealots and assassins such as the sicarii and the hashhashin frightened their contemporaries but were not really terrorists in the modern sense. Middle east and the continuing attractiveness of europe as a substitute battlefield for. Every group mentioned by president bush in his state of the union. As well as being instructive, it helps us move away from the exceptionalism which pervades much of the debate on islamist terrorism. Reasons for terrorism in the middle east springerlink. Counterterrorism instruments the phenomenon of terrorism is not new to the geographical regions represented by the organizations membership the middle east, gulf and north africa, though the form and source of such activities have varied. This paper interrogates the role of the middle east in international terrorism and the spillovers of this on global security. Countries that are in the middle of the spectrum are the ones most likely to have incidents of terrorism abadie 2004. Popular terrorism middle east books showing 123 of 23 massacre in munich. The evolution of islamic terrorism an overview target. In 2016, there were 4,732 attacks with,512 deaths in just the middle east and north africa mena. In her ambitious and challenging book islamist terrorism and democracy in the middle east, katerina dalacoura seeks to debunk the idea that islamist terrorism is the product of a democratic deficit in the region, a form of the exclusionradicalization hypothesis.
Terrorism is therefore perceived almost exclusively as a security threat with no discernible socio. Root causes of conflict and terrorism in the middle east. Dukeunc consortium for middle east studies outreach program strategies for teaching about terrorism terrorism is not only a topic present in the north carolina essential standards, coverage of terrorist attacks around the world consistently appear in the media. How isis attacks harm the middle east best countries us news. The manhunt for the killers behind the 1972 olympics massacre paperback. This break up has sharply reduced the fighting against isis in iraq, and in eastern syria. Although each group is unique, all aspire to advance alqaidas regional and global agendaby. Pdf close examination of the behaviour of participants in financial markets in the aftermath of terrorist attacks is a valuable line of enquiry. During the year, the islamic state of iraq and the levant isil continued to occupy large areas of iraq and syria while isil branches particularly those in libya, saudi arabia, and yemen persisted in fomenting sectarian strife and conducting attacks in the region. Free countries and the countries with authoritarian regimes are not the nations with the most terrorism issues. Besa center perspectives papers are published through the generosity of the greg rosshandler family.
According to johnston archive 2008 the studyresearch conducted by memorial institute for the prevention of terrorism mipt has implied that terrorism in the middle east is still hoisted as a substantial issue. But, no place is nowadays more appropriate for the emergence of terrorist activities than the middle east. The collapse of the arab state system and the rise of. Islamic terrorism, the middle east, and central asia. Some researchers claim that islam as a religion may not incite violence andor terrorism any. Placing the question of democracy and terrorism in the middle east in broader historical and geographical perspective is an essential starting point for this study. Recently, there has been a lot of debate on whether islam is similar or different from other religions regarding the potential to incite violence terrorism. Studies have found that political freedom does relate to terrorism, but in a way most would not expect. Evolving terrorist tactics, techniques, and procedures. This paper attempts to measure the effects of this collapse on terrorism, focusing specifically on the west and the middle east. This outstanding guide to terrorist organizations is both an excellent textbook for students of the middle east and a great reference for experts in policy, research, or programs on middle eastern terrorism. During the 1980s, the united states found itself fighting a war on terrorism in the middle east, primarily because. The terrorist attacks of september 11 created a consensus among western, and in particular us, policy makers that authoritarianism in the middle east. Evolving terrorist tactics, techniques, and procedures ttp migration across south asia, caucasus, and the middle east introduction in the last thirty years, south asia, caucasus and the middle east regions have seen an increase in the number of theaters of terrorism and insurgency.
Aug 26, 2004 this outstanding guide to terrorist organizations is both an excellent textbook for students of the middle east and a great reference for experts in policy, research, or programs on middle eastern terrorism. An empirical analysis of terrorism in the middle east and africa 2 abstract since president bush declared war on terror, counterterrorism policies have taken up a significant amount of resources. Pdf violence and terrorism in the middle east nader. This report does not cover al qaeda affiliates outside of the middle east, afghanistan, and africa. A comparative approach allows us to map where is has developed new techniques, as well as where it has mimicked or built off of previous jihadist tactics 22. The summary is reprinted courtesy of eurasianet, the news and information website of osis central eurasia project. Islamist terrorism and the middle east democratic deficit. The danger in appearing to focus our broader war on terrorism, beyond alqaida, primarily on the middle east and only on the supply side is threefold. For decades, officials have focused on attacks launched by middle easterners.
The history of terrorism is a long one, and defining it is not a straightforward matter. Kuwait is a major non nato ally and the country served as a base for over 20,000 us troops during the iraq war. With a steady base of clientele to the north, the sahelian smuggling route to its south and the heroin route traversing it from east to west, the region both influences and is negatively influenced by illicit substance abuse and production. An attack can be rooted in religious, social, or political conflicts such as when one community is oppressed by another. Loosely defined, terrorism is the use of violence to further a political or ideological goal at the expense of the general population.
Recently, there has been a lot of debate on whether islam is similar or different from other religions regarding the potential to incite violenceterrorism. Why is there more terrorism in the middle east than in other. The lack of understanding the root causes of terrorism is a serious problem. The main focus will be on the expected perceptions and reaction to us policy of selected important middle east actors, regime stability and changing regional alignments. Mei the same arab and iranian dictators oppress their fellow subjects, sponsor terrorism and imperil israel, the sole democracy in the middle east. Islamic terrorism, islamist terrorism or radical islamic terrorism are terrorist acts against civilians committed by violent islamists who claim a religious motivation the largest numbers of incidents and fatalities caused by islamic terrorism have occurred in places like iraq, afghanistan, nigeria, pakistan, yemen and syria. Middle east turmoil and the continuing terrorist threat rand. Using data on terrorist incidents as well as national demographic and socioeconomic conditions, i find a strong and unambiguous increase in. The middle east after the defeat of the islamic state lawfare. Apr 12, 2017 middle eastern ct strategies and policies remain entangled to various degrees with those of the west, particularly the us led coalition to defeat the islamic state. In fact, the division that will shape the future of arab politics is not between sunnis and shias but among various understandings of sunni islamism. Understanding politics and terrorism in the arab middle east by samuel helfont november 2009.
Islamist terrorism and the democratic deficit in the middle. The middle east and north africa mena is a major source, transit point, and consumer of illicit drugs. An empirical analysis of terrorism in the middle east and. See also crs report r44563, terrorism and violent extremism in africa, by lauren ploch blanchard and alexis arieff, and crs report r44501, terrorism in southeast asia, by ben dolven et al. Terrorism in the wake of the cold war order a thesis. This paper argues that there is no evidence that a causal relationship exists between the democratic deficit in the middle east and the emergence of islamist terrorism.
The threat of islamic state terrorism motivated the obama administration, which was eager to avoid the middle east quagmire, to intervene militarily and engage in highlevel diplomacy. Beyond iraq and syria, is has established regional affiliates elsewhere in the middle eastincluding in egypt, kuwait and saudi arabiathat have. Pdf radical islamic terrorism in the middle east and its direct. The following is a summary of an osi forum, islamic terrorism, the middle east, and central asia. The root causes of terrorism in the middle east and north. Islam, terrorism, stability, and conflict in the middle east.
You mitigate them and apply resources and strategies to avoid catastrophe. The return of isis in iraq, syria, and the middle east. Efraim inbar is professor emeritus of political studies at barilan university and a fellow at the middle east forum. While there have been many books written on middle eastern terrorism and its actors, aaron manness work is by far the best. Even by the standards of terrorist groups, the islamic state is bloody, extreme and toxic. Irans support for terrorism in the middle east matthew levitt director, stein program on counterterrorism and intelligence, the washington institute testimony before the u. The middle east and terrorism are often used together in terrorism literature and have become synonymous with each other. These zealots have a great deal of energy, and many frustrated muslims are ready to blame their miserable predicament on the west. Author lydia khalil is a middle east politics and international terrorism specialist. While iran is unlikely to abandon its support of terrorism any time soon, there are certainly ways in which the international community can help reduce irans reliance on terrorist proxies in projecting its influence. The current global wave of terrorist violence, in many ways, was fuelled by conflicts and events in the middle east, particularly the enduring arabisraeli conflict and issue of the islamic state of iraq and syria isis. These include defense cooperation agreements, basing and access rights, the preposition ing of equipment, and other hard forms of cooperation. Middle eastern terrorist elements, the threat of middle eastern terrorist. Muhammad said that the jews had been rejected by allah and cursed.
On tuesday we all saw the most deadly attack on america ever, and the images are imbedded deeply in our minds at this time, and probably will remain for a long time. The middle east, more than any other region in the world, is beleaguered by religious fanatics ready to use violence indiscriminately against people who do not adhere to the right religious approach. Country reports on terrorism 2015 middle east and north. However, even if the islamic state isnt revivedalthough it might bethe middle east as a whole is likely to. The narrative traces the roots of terrorism to the middle east, noting. During the 1980s, the united states found itself fighting a.
While iran is unlikely to abandon its support of terrorism any time soon, there are certainly ways in which the international community can help reduce. Two distinct forms of sunni islamism exist in the arab middle east, each with a separate history and world view. As the war on terrorism moves beyond alqaida, it is clear that the american focus remains almost entirely on the middle east. Terrorism can take multiple forms and have many causes, often more than one.
Terrorism significantly affects the middle easts economy, to a far greater extent than it does in europe. War and socalled islamic terrorism, the author considers the place of. In response to the accompanying threats and needs for increased regional cooperation. According to dalacoura, this idea developed into an academic and public policy.
The middle east is commonly considered a region especially vulnerable to terrorism and the chief exporter of terrorism to other parts of the world. The united states maintains a range of security relationships in the middle east. Is terrorism a useful term in understanding the middle. Muslims worldwide confront multidimensional crises including economic, political, educational, cultural, and social problems. In 2015 four islamic extremist groups were responsible for 74% of. Nov 23, 2015 how isis attacks harm the middle east while attention is focused on terrorism in the west, the terrorist group escalates tensions among muslims. Islamist terrorism and the democratic deficit in the. The middle east and north africa remained a primary theater for terrorist activity throughout 2015. Why we should measure the economic impact of terrorism in the. Hezbollah has expanded its operations from lebanon to targets in the middle east and far beyond the region. Geopolitics, geography, and terrorism in the middle east. The completed registration allows us to send order and donation receipts to the email address you provided. Project muse islamist terrorism and democracy in the.
This paper analyzes international terrorism in the middle east with critical view on isis as a case study and proposed coherent political solution. A biblical perspective on death, terrorism, and the middle. In response to the accompanying threats and needs for increased regional cooperation, agreement was. Americas major challenge is not with violence and terrorism in the middle east. Across the middle east there has been a marked increase in terrorist attacks in the wake of the arab spring, the rise of the islamic state is, and the revival of alqaeda and its offshoots. Some have argued that islam, unlike christianity or judaism, has a special propensity to violence against nonbelievers. The phenomenon of terrorism is not new to the geographical regions represented by the organizations membership the middle east, gulf and north africa, though the form and source of such activities have varied. Addressing the motives and factors that give rise to terrorism and sustain it is often more effective than trying to combat. Iraniansponsored terrorism is the greatest threat to.
Islamic radicals in iran view washingtons presence and. Counter terrorism instruments the phenomenon of terrorism is not new to the geographical regions represented by the organizations membership the middle east, gulf and north africa, though the form and source of such activities have varied. The middle east after the defeat of the islamic state. When examining the drivers of terrorism the presence of armed conflict, political violence by governments, political exclusion and group grievances remain critical factors. Russia and china in the middle east implications for the united states in an era of strategic competition christine wormuth ct511 testimony presented before the house foreign affairs subcommittee on middle east, north africa and international terrorism on may 9, 2019. Students will continue to have questions about terrorism as our world is everchanging. Despite withdrawal of us forces from iraq, kuwait along with qatar has remained an important regional hub, with. So it seems a critical oversight that studies have not attempted to estimate the total cost of terrorism in the middle east, given that this region has seen the sharpest increase in terrorism pdf.
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