The narrative traces the roots of terrorism to the middle east, noting the volatility of the issue and susceptibility of some countries within that region to terrorism, zeroingin on iran as. As the center of the jewish, christian, and islamic faiths. These zealots have a great deal of energy, and many frustrated muslims are ready to blame their miserable predicament on the west. Beyond iraq and syria, is has established regional affiliates elsewhere in the middle east including in egypt, kuwait and saudi arabiathat have. 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. Besa center perspectives papers are published through the generosity of the greg rosshandler family. Efraim inbar is professor emeritus of political studies at barilan university and a fellow at the middle east forum. 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. 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.
In 2016, there were 4,732 attacks with,512 deaths in just the middle east and north africa mena. 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. However the dominant trends of terrorism in the 21st century are the profound impact of terrorism on the middle east, north africa, and south east asia, as exemplified by the number of terrorist. Two distinct forms of sunni islamism exist in the arab middle east, each with a separate history and world view. Pdf violence and terrorism in the middle east nader. Author lydia khalil is a middle east politics and international terrorism specialist. Irans support for terrorism in the middle east download pdf mr. 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. Why is there more terrorism in the middle east than in other. World opinion on terrorism council on foreign relations.
Download the report it is far too easy to focus on individual acts of terrorism and extremism, and ignore the global patterns in such violence. This research is important to examine for numerous reasons. This means that the current issues and growth of terrorism in the middle east is consistently progressing. Challenges to peace in the middle east the washington. State sponsored terrorism in the middle east 37 inspiration from the iranian revolution and the teachings of the late ayatollah khomenei united states department of state 2010, 216. Islam and the patterns in terrorism and violent extremism. 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. Russia and china in the middle east rand corporation. For decades, officials have focused on attacks launched by middle easterners. Specifically, for the united states, the region is essential due to numerous allies and resources. The chapter examines terrorism in the middle east from a historical perspective, looking at the rise of palestinian secular terrorist organizations in the 1960s and 1970s. Terrorism significantly affects the middle east s economy, to a far greater extent than it does in europe.
The middle east is likely to continue to serve as a center of terrorism and a platform for exporting instability, violence, and terrorism to other regions of the world. While there have been many books written on middle eastern terrorism and its actors, aaron manness work is by far the best. 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. Terrorism significantly affects the middle easts economy, to a far greater extent than it does in europe. Irans support for terrorism in the middle east matthew levitt director, stein program on counterterrorism and intelligence, the washington institute testimony before the u. When examining the drivers of terrorism the presence of armed conflict, political violence by governments, political exclusion and group grievances remain critical factors. 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. This break up has sharply reduced the fighting against isis in iraq, and in eastern syria. Even so, terrorism and counterterrorism ct in the middle east were still driven by the fight against is, a resurgent alqaeda and the conflict in syria. 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. How isis attacks harm the middle east best countries us news. Islamic terrorist tactics spread beyond the middle east to places like libya, east africa, the sahel zone of africa, pakistan, thailand, indonesia, and the philippines, largely following the model of middle eastern jihadists.
The narrative traces the roots of terrorism to the middle east, noting the volatility of the issue and susceptibility of some countries within that region to terrorism, zeroing in on iran as. In this paper, terrorist attacks in the middle east are analyzed using methods of network science, statistical methods, geographic information science, and artificial neural networks designed from a sociospatial perspective. Such disruptions could resort in increased levels of political unrest, including outbreaks of terrorism. Using data on terrorist incidents as well as national demographic and socioeconomic conditions, i find a strong and unambiguous increase in. Isis and isil isis and isil are the same group translated slightly differently islamic state of iraq and syria or islamic state of iraq and the levant, isis is a radical islamist terrorist group that splintered from alqaeda and is based in syria. Senate, committee on foreign relations, subcommittee on near eastern and central asian affairs july 25, 2012. Pdf radical islamic terrorism in the middle east and its direct. 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. 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.
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. Some researchers claim that islam as a religion may not incite violence andor terrorism any. The chapter examines terrorism in the middle east from a historical perspective, looking at the. It now appears that the islamic state is honing its efforts to inspire followers, and focusing on more careful planning and coordination in its attacks. In 2017, is ambitions and objectives seem to have changed. The middle east is still in a cloud of turmoil whose end is not yet in sight. The processes involved in globalisation can disrupt the social, economic, and political systems of countries in the middle east and north africa. War and socalled islamic terrorism, the author considers the place of. An empirical analysis of terrorism in the middle east and.
In fact, tehrans support of terrorism includes both the sponsorship of middle eastern. The causes of terrorism are crucial to the policies of many countries. The lack of understanding the root causes of terrorism is a serious problem. Evolution and impact of terrorism in the middle east. 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. In response to the accompanying threats and needs for increased regional cooperation. Rand research on the region covers a wide range of cultural, economic, educational, military, and political topics, including indepth examinations of qatar, palestine. The us will not escape iraniansponsored attacks by inaction because iran and its radical shia allies regard the us as a continuing threat by its mere presence in. The shadow of global terrorism extends from the middle east to impact europe, where the paris attack of november 2015 led to a big loss for the travel and tourism sectors in france this attack was estimated to have cost 2. Middle east turmoil and the continuing terrorist threat rand. Irans support for terrorism in the middle east american. 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.
At this critical moment, it is crying need to clearly identify the root causes. Pdf this paper interrogates the role of the middle east in international terrorism and the spillovers of this on global security. In 2015 four islamic extremist groups were responsible for. 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. Similar fatwas appear to have yielded scant results in the middle east where the practice is used by islamic state and other militant groups. 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. Assistant professor of international relations in the islamic azad. States in the middle east also serve as major purchasers of us military equipment. The region has the most terrorist incidents in the entire world according to the global terrorism database.
The threat isis poses in the middle east and fears of homegrown terrorist attacks in the u. 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. Caveats and a larger global and historical context. Although terrorism is not unique to the middle east, it has been home to most of the highly dangerous terrorist groups, and to regimes who view terrorism as a legitimate means with which to defeat political opposition to their rule or to advance their foreign policy objectives. 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. But, no place is nowadays more appropriate for the emergence of terrorist activities than the middle east. An attack can be rooted in religious, social, or political conflicts such as when one community is oppressed by another.
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. Islam, terrorism, stability, and conflict in the middle east. Middle east states to international systems of norms and rules. Amongst all the boiling cauldrons in the middle east, remote and medieval afghanistan presents the most vexing challenge. The return of isis in iraq, syria, and the middle east. The gtd, with the three optional conditions applied to it, examine attacks on civilian targets only. Our goal is not to permit an overt terrorist sanctuary or safe haven. Islamist terrorism and the democratic deficit in the middle. Even by the standards of terrorist groups, the islamic state is bloody, extreme and toxic. The evolution of islamic terrorism an overview target. Conflict and terrorism has always existed throughout the world. 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. The middle east and the new terrorism ucl discovery. 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.
Aug 12, 2009 concern about terrorism varies significantly around the world, with the highest levels found in the middle east, south asia, and western europeall regions that have suffered significant. Muhammad said that the jews had been rejected by allah and cursed. Country reports on terrorism 2015 is submitted in compliance with title 22 of the united states code, section 2656f the act, which requires the department of state to provide to congress a full and complete annual report on terrorism for those. During the 1980s, the united states found itself fighting a war on terrorism in the middle east, primarily because. The number of muslims in the middle east will grow from 341 million to. The public wants to know their government is working to keep them safe from terrorism but doesnt support extreme and reckless proposals. The next definition is that of the middle east and north africa or mena.
One of the most dangerous regions is the greater horn of africa along with yemen, its volatile neighbor. Terrorism, at present instant, destroyed the possibility of safer world and became a great challenging security issue of maintaining the peaceful order of human movement. Syria has not only driven jihadist conflict and dynamics, but has become a battleground in which all sorts of regional and international ambitions and conflicts are being played out. This paper analyzes international terrorism in the middle east with critical view on isis as a case study and proposed coherent political solution. Middle east and africa congressional research service summary after a more than a decade and a half of combating al qaeda aq in afghanistan and pakistan, the united states faces a diverse array of threats from al qaeda affiliates in the middle east and africa. Students will continue to have questions about terrorism as our world is everchanging. 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. A biblical perspective on death, terrorism, and the middle.
The middle east was a key battlefield in the cold war, and moscow spent considerable resources courting arab states in the region and vocally backing the palestinian cause. Loosely defined, terrorism is the use of violence to further a political or ideological goal at the expense of the general population. An empirical analysis of terrorism in the middle east and africa 3 an empirical analysis of terrorism in the middle east and africa i. Its increase in complex masscasualty attacks in iraq and syria therefore became a routine to terrorise the populations and seek control. Middle east, central asia and south america through these terrorist proxies, especially in recent areas of conflict such as afghanistan and iraq, where iran has provided extensive support to various terrorist and insurgent groups kagan, kagan and pletka 2008. Although terrorism declined worldwide between 2015 and 2016, attacks in this region increased 2 percent to more than 6,000 and total deaths increased 8 percent to more than 19,100. Terrorist attacks change dynamically in social and geographic spaces. Geopolitics, geography, and terrorism in the middle east. In the 1990s the united states expanded its security presence in the region to contain saddam husseins iraq and the clerical regime in iran. There is also scope for enhanced cooperation in defence and security, where there are some common interests notably in materiel acquisition, intelligence sharing and counter terrorism. Sep 01, 2016 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. Root causes of conflict and terrorism in the middle east. Identifying the sociospatial dynamics of terrorist. From south asia to south america, terrorist groups are on the rise.
The burke chair at csis has assembled a wide range of indicators that help quantify and explain these patterns, and that look beyond the crises of the moment to examine longer term trends. Chairman and members of the committee, i say it every time, and mean it every time. 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. Perhaps this is why some believe that of all irans proxies, none is more important to tehran than the lebanese hizballah byman, 2005. Islam, terrorism, stability and conflict in the middle east aws.
The way westerners think about islamist terrorism has grown dangerously outdated. The middle east after the defeat of the islamic state lawfare. Why we need to measure the economic impact of terrorism in. Globalisation and terrorism in the middle east lutz. In 2011 saudi arabia agreed to purchase over eighty f 15sa fighter aircraft and upgrade its existing fleet of seventy f 15s, along with airtoair and airtoground packages. Needless to say, that occupation was itself among the most destabilizing events to befall the middle east in its modern history and has led to tens of thousands of deaths from terrorism.
The root causes of terrorism in the middle east and north. However, even if the islamic state isnt revivedalthough it might bethe middle east as a whole is likely to. Terrorism is not and never has been exclusively or primarily islamic. Terrorism can take multiple forms and have many causes, often more than one.