Anti-terrorism policy as a dilemma of liberal democracy

Terrorism is harmful to democratic governments and societies. In addition to the visible and the direct effects of attacks on bystanders, aim bombers are undermining democratic values, including the weakening of confidence in state institutions and laws that regulate their functioning. As a result of the use of violence can permanently give birth to create a socio-political divisions, antagonize certain entities and groups, and thus provoke conflicts thus destroying the existing compromises, agreements or arrangements between the parties concerned. In matters of international terrorism it is not only a challenge for the rule of law, but because it also applies to relations between states, poses a serious threat to security and stability.

Wobec coraz częstszych przejawów terroryzmu wewnętrznego, krajowego (zamykającego się w granicach jednego państwa) i zewnętrznego, transnarodowego (obejmującego swym zasięgiem działania więcej niż jednego państwa, transgranicznego), powstają pytania, który rodzaj terroryzmu – wewnętrzny czy zewnętrzny staje się większym zagrożeniem bezpieczeństwa? W jaki sposób terroryści adaptują się do wewnątrzkrajowych (defensywnych) środków bezpieczeństwa oraz zewnętrznych (ofensywnych) środków wykorzystywanych przez państwa w wojnie z terroryzmem? Jak przemiany terroryzmu w wymiarze motywacyjnym, a więc wartości i zasady służące terrorystom jako uzasadnienie stosowania przemocy, zwłaszcza odejście od świeckich ideologii politycznych, lewicowych, w kierunku uzasadnienia religijnego, wpływają na ewolucję terroryzmu jako zagrożenia dla jednostek i ich grup? Kto lub co jest celem ataków współczesnych grup terrorystycznych? Celem tego artykułu jest udzielenie odpowiedzi na powyższe pytania w oparciu o bogatą literaturę oraz dane na temat terroryzmu, pochodzące z dwóch baz danych, tj. The International Terrorism: Attributes of Terrorist Events (ITERATE), a także Global Terrorism information hub (GTD). Rozważania teoretyczne zostaną oparte na na modelu ekonomicznej racjonalności działania terrorystów przedstawionym przez Williama M. Landesa w 1978 roku.

Terrorist attacks in the Russian Federation

The high level of terrorist threat to the security of the Russian Federation, which has been persisting for decades, is a process of many aspects. The conducted internal policy, involvement in armed conflicts in Ukraine and in Syria, the unstable situation in the Caucasus and the undertaken international co-operation have a significant impact on the activation of terrorist groups in Russia. Already in 2012, before the series of attacks in the French Republic, the on-going conflict in the North Caucasus was described as the most brutal in Europe. Since 2007, Russia has started to cope with international terrorism. What is even worse, it has undergone evolution, permanently destabilizing the internal security of the state. The recent attacks have been associated with the emergence of extremist groups from the Middle East, such as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, and their cooperation with rebels from the South and North Caucasus. International terrorist groups began their expansion into the whole territory of the Russian Federation, mobilizing the local government to undertake activities counteracting terrorism. Nowadays, the situation is slowly returning to normal, but new threats are still worth noting. The past experience and new threats of attacks urge us to re-analyse the current situation and define the goals of the anti-terrorist actions of the Russian Federation. This is also important in view of the consequences for other countries which are immediate neighbours of Russia, including possible terrorist consequences for Poland.

The European Union policies in the area of combating terrorism

The subject of this dissertation is the European Union policies in the area of combating terrorism. The fact that terrorism is regarded as being one of the biggest threats to European Security determined the choice of the subject. The author has tried to explain the terminology applying to terrorism, the history of terrorism, and present methods of fight against it. The objective of the article is the analysis of the European Union main actions taken and decisions made in this respect. One of many determinants that influenced tightening of this policy were the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the USA on 11 September 2001. Also, frequent terrorist attacks forced the European Union member states constant cooperation and continued efforts regarding actions to counter terrorism which is both social and political phenomenon.