Understanding Terrorism

The New Terrorism
Mass attack – The New Terrorism is characterized by the threat of mass casualty attacks from terrorist organizations, new and creative organizational configurations, transnational religious solidarity, and redefined moral justifications for political violence.​

It is distinguishable from previous environments because the New Terrorism:
Promotes abstract goals and objectives, ​
Engages in mass casualty attacks, ​
Seeks to impose extensive social and psychological disorder, and ​
Threatens to obtain and wield weapons of mass destruction. ​

"Developing Next-Generation Countermeasures for Homeland Security Threat Prevention, 2017​"​

The New Terrorism
New creative organizational systems: -including independent, non-hierarchical, cell-based networks.

Regularly engage in asymmetrical attacks,
​ Embed cell-based networks in countries far afield from the region of conflict, ​
Purposely select and attack “soft” civilian and government targets, and ​
Utilize modern communication and networking technologies.​



"Developing Next-Generation Countermeasures for Homeland Security Threat Prevention, 2017​"​

The New Terrorism

Tactics deployed by modern terrorists and their organizations:

​ Factors influencing tactics ​
- Nature of the intended target, ​
- Abilities of its operatives and ​
- Level of hostility of the environment in which they operate. ​


Terrorists are spoilt by an abundance of methods at their disposal to bring about a successful conclusion.

​ ​ ​

"Blackstone’s Counter-Terrorism Handbook (2012)​"​

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