Countering Terrorism: Key Challenges and Proposed Solutions

In this chapter based on research interviews and own research the author gives an overview of the key challenges to countering terrorism. The interdependence of terrorism with various types of security threats is being highlighted, such as violent conflicts, ecological threats, political instabilities, economic crises and the nexus with organized crime. The potential challenges stemming from the rapid technological advancements are being analysed with a special focus on artificial intelligence. The author discusses the ideas on how terrorist organisations could harness the technologies and how the technologies could enhance counter-terrorism measures. One of the aspects the author identifies as crucial within the broad anti-terrorism (AT) system is education. The chapter discusses how building societal resilience to disinformation may be one of the critical factors in the AT system. The chapter is concluded with an evaluation, according to the five steps analysis proposed by Bruce Schneier, of the need for a common definition of terrorism as a security mechanism in counterterrorism.