The Aftermath : Societal and Political Responses to Jihadist Terrorism

Terrorist attacks are a means to an end. Terrorists use violence to spread fear and garner attention in order to achieve political or ideological goals.Beyond the direct damage, the societal and political responses of different audiences largely determine the impact of an attack.How different audiences respond to terrorism remains understudied, which hampers our ability to understand the extent to which terrorism can be considered (un)successful.This book provides an in-depth examination of responses to jihadist terrorism in four countries: Belgium, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.Introducing one of the most comprehensive qualitative datasets on the topic, Jeanine de Roy van Zuijdewijn explores the patterns of responses, raises questions about the efficacy of terrorism as a violent communication strategy, and formulates concrete recommendations for policymakers and professionals working to increase resilience and limit the impact of terrorism on societies.She shows how some res