Publication
Twenty years of countering jihadism in Western Europe: from the shock of 9/11 to ‘jihadism fatigue’
This article provides a big picture reflection on two decades after 9/11 in Western Europe. The authors looked at the development of the threat, counterterrorism policies and the impact (of both) on societies.
- Author
- Jeanine de Roy van Zuijdewijn, Edwin Bakker
- Date
- 26 April 2023
- Links
- Read the full article here
The authors identify 5 phases in the development of the jihadist threat: 1) post-9/11 shock, 2) homegrown wave after Madrid and London, 3) 'quiet on the jihadist front' (2009-2012), 4) the foreign fighter phenomenon and rise of Islamic State, 5) the 'new normal' and decline of the threat.
In terms of actors, it is evident that the field of counterterrorism has broadened from a few specialised security actors to a wide array of other types of actors, such as social actors. While useful, this also has certain side effects. In times of heightened awareness of the (perceived) threat of terrorism, however, there is often little room for critical reflection on such side effects.
The authors show how, generally, threat perceptions (and the impact) have not always been aligned with the actual jihadist threat. This lack of alignment took different forms: sometimes in overreactions and inflated threat descriptions, sometimes in a lack of attention that might have contributed to unpleasant surprises. Today, the authors would argue that we can speak of a form of 'fatigue'. But not so much (counter)terrorism fatigue, as there is increasing attention for other forms of terrorism and political violence (e.g. RWE, anti-institutional extremism), but specifically 'jihadism fatigue'.
Overall, the authors argue for a less incident-driven and more balanced counterterrorism approach that can limit the chance of overreactions and terrorism fatigue, decreasing the impact of both terrorism and counterterrorism on societies.