Open AccessTerrorism in the Middle East: Main stages of evolution
Author(s) -
Sergey A. Lantsov
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
političeskaâ èkspertiza
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2618-9577
pISSN - 1818-4499
DOI - 10.21638/spbu23.2020.206
Subject(s) - terrorism , caliphate , middle east , ideology , islam , contradiction , state (computer science) , political science , political economy , left wing politics , politics , law , sociology , history , philosophy , archaeology , epistemology , algorithm , computer science
The article discusses the main stages of the evolution of terrorism in the Middle East from the 40s of the 20th century to the beginning of the 21st century. It is noted that terrorism as a political technology of using violence to achieve its goals was introduced to the Middle East from Europe after World War II. Ideological origins of terrorism in the 60–70s of the 20th century are analyzed. It is emphasized that during this period left-wing ideas had great popularity all over the world and in the Middle East. On the basis of ideological proximity, there was cooperation between some Palestinian organizations and left-wing extremist groups operating in other regions of the world. It is stated that at the end of the 20th century, in connection with the decline of the influence of radical leftist ideas, Islamic terrorism became the main type of terrorism in the Middle East. A comparative analysis of the characteristics of the activities of such terrorist organizations as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State is given. It is noted that with a common ideological platform, there were structural and organizational differences between them. It is pointed out that Al-Qaeda is characterized by an internal contradiction between the ultimate goal — the creation of a world caliphate and the network principle of activity. The “Islamic State” overcame this contradiction by “territorialization” in Iraq and Syria. As a “quasi-state” entity, ISIS has become vulnerable to counter-terrorism. The final part of the article discusses the main ways of countering terrorism in the Middle East in modern conditions.