During the last decades, the Christian population of Iraq is estimated to have decreased from about 1.5 million people to about 120,000. The historical examples of religious persecution are plenty, and in the last few years, the world again witnessed brutal violence against religious minorities, this time committed by the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). By examining the narrative of the survivors of the persecution and violence, insight can be gained into what becomes meaningful for a person in the darkest situation of violence and threats, and how the available resources can be useful to cope with the situation in a way that makes sense of evil. Through an ethnographic approach, the inner lives of eight Christians from northern Iraq are explored in this thesis. Their personal stories demonstrate how a sense of coherence can be reached through being part of something greater than oneself; activism, nationalism, and most of all; religious faith, practice, and identity.

The thesis topic is the cooperation between the Czech and German far-right. The author focuses on the cooperation of Czech and German extreme-right parties from 1989 to 2019. The thesis aims not only to describe the contacts of the respective parties but also to explore the logic of the relations between the Czech and German extreme right. Adopting the theoretical framework of the Discursive theory of Essex school, the author proceeds to a detailed analysis of the discourses of Czech extreme-right parties about Germans and Germany; she traces back the transformations of the original anti-German discourses and the origins of these changes. Against the background of these processes, she explores the transformations of the "conditions of possibility" that make Czech-German cooperation "conceivable" for both Czech and German extreme-right parties. The author explores the changes in the discursive conditions that allow Czech-German friendship to be "rationalised" and justified despite the contradictory positions on the issues of the Czech-German past. The author analyses the anti-German discourse of the SPR-RSČ in the 1990s and examines the circumstances of the SPR-RSČ's alleged contacts with the German Die Republikaner. Further parts of the thesis are devoted to the relations between Dělnická strana...

Магистерская диссертация «Профилактика экстремизма в молодежной среде в клубах по месту жительства (на примере ГО Верхняя Пышма)» состоит из 2 глав, введения, заключения, библиографического списка и приложений. Целью диссертационной работы являлась разработка и внедрение программы по профилактике экстремизма в молодёжной среде в клубах по месту жительства и проведение социологического исследования среди молодёжи клубов по месту жительства. Объектом диссертационного исследования является процесс профилактики экстремизма в подростково-молодежной среде в клубах по месту жительства. Предметом диссертационного исследования - организация работы клубов по месту жительства ГО Верхняя Пышма Свердловской области по профилактике экстремизма в молодежной среде. Объем работы составил 75 страниц. В работе содержатся 2 приложения, 2 таблицы. В библиографическом списке представлено 56 источников. / Master's thesis "Prevention of extremism among the youth in clubs at the place of residence (on the example of Verkhnyaya Pyshma)" consists of 2 chapters, introduction, conclusion, bibliographic list and appendices. The purpose of the dissertation work was to develop and implement a program for the prevention of extremism among the youth in clubs at the place of residence and conduct a sociological study among the youth of clubs at the place of residence. The object of the dissertation research is the process of preventing extremism among adolescents and youth in clubs at the place of residence. The subject of the dissertation research is the organization of the work of clubs at the place of residence of the municipality Verkhnyaya Pyshma of the Sverdlovsk region for the prevention of extremism among the youth. The volume of work was 75 pages. The work contains 2 applications, 2 tables. The bibliographic list contains 56 sources.

Abstract.  The purpose of this study is to investigate connections between Andrew Tate and right-wing extreme ideologies through fascist and feminist theories and how they spread in a digitalized globalization. The material is gathered from interviews and podcasts on YouTube where Andrew Tate shares his opinions. I have used theories and concepts that discuss sex, gender and heteronormativity as a social construction, as well as a theoretical framework that identifies tactics used by fascist movements to spread their ideas and increase their influence. The result of my study shows that there are distinct connections between Andrew Tate opinions and right-wing extreme ideologies. Tate uses the same tactical method as fascism to spread his message and gain followers. They also share the traditional conservative view on gender and gender roles where everything is based on masculinity and femininity in relation to one's biology. Both ideologies are based on a heteronormativity that lacks intersectional analysis and stigmatizes those who break the norm.

[ES] La presente investigación aborda la noción de terrorismo en relación con sus formas de representación. Así, partimos del supuesto de que, en cuanto a terrorismo se refiere, lenguaje e imagen, realidad y representación, no funcionan como esferas separadas, sino como terrenos sólo aparentemente fronterizos que se solapan, interaccionan y se condicionan entre sí. Aquí nos servimos del 11-S como acontecimiento singular a través del cual desentrañar el relato que circunda la idea de terrorismo; un relato que ha hecho de la imagen su principal herramienta discursiva y de la ficción su estrategia propagandística más eficaz. En otras palabras, podríamos decir que la narración post-11-S del terrorismo se ha basado en la explotación sin paliativos de su representación simplificada, atribuyendo a sus imágenes unos significados previamente estipulados e imponiendo un modelo explicativo que abandona por completo el empirismo y el estudio racional de los hechos. Si tradicionalmente el concepto de terrorismo se había definido, tanto histórica como jurídicamente, a través de una pretendida ambigüedad, tras el 11-S se extremó su indeterminación, ampliándolo sustancialmente e incidiendo en su característica carga emotiva. Por todo ello, en esta tesis doctoral ofrecemos tres aproximaciones diferentes al concepto de terrorismo, enunciadas desde el intrincado nexo que su violencia establece con las técnicas de representación. En la primera parte, mediante un análisis comparativo del 11-S, definimos el terrorismo como una estrategia de violencia política con intenciones comunicativas y simbólicas. En la segunda parte, reflexionamos en torno a la confluencia de distintos estilos de relato, creados todos ellos con afán de desactivación del contrarrelato que la acción terrorista introduce, describiendo el terrorismo como constructo mediático y como concepto narrativo. Finalmente, en la tercera parte, tratamos la noción de terrorismo como un relato de exterioridad, generado para expulsar la violencia inherente al propio Estado fuera del orden político. Cabe mencionar que, aunque tomemos el 11-S como punto de partida y caso de estudio, esta investigación no se circunscribe exclusivamente a este acontecimiento, sino que aborda la especificidad de la violencia terrorista a través del análisis de sus formas de representación con vistas a la extracción de unas conclusiones generales. La metodología de esta investigación es, por lo tanto, inductiva y su perspectiva es de carácter transdisciplinar, combinando la investigación teórico-práctica en artes, con la indagación filosófica o jurídica. De ello se deriva que las conclusiones extraídas a lo largo de esta tesis doctoral vengan determinadas tanto por la reflexión teórica como por la propia práctica artística. / [CA] La present investigació adreça la noció de terrorisme en relació amb les seues formes de representació. Així, partim del suposat que, pel que fa a terrorisme, llenguatge i imatge, realitat i representació, no funcionen com esferes separades, sinó com terrenys sols aparentment fronterers que no deixen de superposar-se, interaccionar o condicionar-se entre si. Ací ens fem servir de l'11-S com esdeveniment singular a través del qual desentranyar el relat que circumda la idea de terrorisme; un relat que ha fet de la imatge la seua principal ferramenta discursiva i de la ficció la seua estratègia propagandística més eficaç. En altres paraules, podríem dir que la narració post-11-S del terrorisme s'ha basat en l'explotació sense pal·liatius de la seua representació simplificada, atribuint a les seues imatges uns significats prèviament estipulats i imposant un model explicatiu que abandona per complet l'empirisme i l'estudi racional dels fets. Si tradicionalment el concepte de terrorisme s'havia definit, tant històrica com jurídicament, a través d'una pretesa ambigüitat, després de l'11-S es va extremar la seua indeterminació, ampliant-lo substancialment i incidint en la seua característica càrrega emotiva. Per tot això, en aquesta tesi doctoral oferim tres aproximacions diferents del concepte de terrorisme, enunciades des de l'intrincat nexe que la seua violència estableix amb les tècniques de representació. En la primera part, mitjançant una anàlisi comparativa de l'11-S, definim el terrorisme com una estratègia de violència política amb intencions comunicatives i simbòliques. En la segona part, reflexionem al voltant de la confluència de diferents estils de relat, creats tots ells amb l'afany de desactivació del contrarrelat que l'acció terrorista introdueix, descrivint el terrorisme com constructe mediàtic i com concepte narratiu. Finalment, en la tercera part, tractem la noció de terrorisme com un relat d'exterioritat, generat per expulsar la violència inherent al mateix Estat fora de l'ordre polític. Cal fer menció que, tot i que prenem l'11-S com un punt de partida i cas d'estudi, aquesta investigació no se circumscriu exclusivament a aquest esdeveniment, sinó que adreça l'especificitat de la violència terrorista a través de l'anàlisi de les seues formes de representació amb vista a l'extracció d'unes conclusions generals. La metodologia d'aquesta investigació és, per tant, inductiva i la seua perspectiva és de caràcter transdisciplinari, combinant la investigació teòric-pràctica en arts, amb la indagació filosòfica i jurídica. D'això es deriva que les conclusions extretes al llarg d'aquesta tesi doctoral vinguen determinades tant per la reflexió teòrica com per la pròpia pràctica artística. / [EN] This research addresses the notion of terrorism in relation to its forms of representation. Thus, we start from the assumption that, as far as terrorism is concerned, language and image, as well as reality and representation do not function as separate spheres, but as only seemingly borderline terrains that overlap, interact, and condition each other. In this thesis we use 9/11 as a singular event through which to unravel the narrative that surrounds the concept of terrorism; a narrative that has transformed image into its main discursive tool and fiction into its most effective propaganda strategy. In other words, one might say that the post 9/11 narrative of terrorism has been based on the unmitigated exploitation of its simplified representation, attributing previously stipulated meanings to its images and imposing an explanatory model that completely abandons empiricism and the rational study of the facts. The concept of terrorism had traditionally already been defined, both historically and legally, through a pretended ambiguity; however, its indeterminacy became even more extreme after 9/11, expanding substantially and stressing its characteristic emotional charge. For all these reasons, in this doctoral thesis I offer three different approaches to the concept of terrorism, articulated on the basis of the intricate nexus that its violence establishes with representation techniques. In the first part, through a comparative analysis of 9/11, I define terrorism as a strategy of political violence with communicative and symbolic intentions. In the second part, I reflect on the confluence of different narrative styles, all created with the aim of deactivating the counter-narrative that terrorist action introduces, describing terrorism as a media construct and a narrative concept. Finally, in the third part, I deal with the notion of terrorism as a narrative of exteriority, generated to dissociate the violence inherent to the State itself from the political order. It is worth noting that, although we take 9/11 as a starting point and case study, this research is not limited exclusively to this event, as it also addresses the specificity of terrorist violence through the analysis of its forms of representation with a view to drawing general conclusions. Thus, the methodology of this research is inductive and its perspective is transdisciplinary in nature, combining theoretical-practical research in the arts with philosophical or even legal investigations. The conclusions drawn throughout this doctoral thesis are consequently determined both by theoretical reflection and by the artistic practice itself. / Rial Zamudio, S. (2022). Terrorismo: relato y contrarrelato. Un estudio teórico-práctico a partir del imaginario surgido tras el 11-S [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/181577

Thesis deals with the issue of dissolution of political parties. States should recognise that everyone has the right to associate freely in political parties. As a particularly far-reaching measure, enforced dissolution of political party may only be justified in the case of party that advocates the use of violence as a political means to overthrow the democratic constitutional order, thereby undermining the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the constitution. The dissolution of a political party is an exceptional measure in a democratic society and should be govern by the principle of proportionality. Apart from Czech legislation and recent judicial cases, this thesis is focused on Slovak and German experience with political party ban. Relevant decisions of European Court of Human Rights are introduced as well. In the first chapter the term "political party" is defined. Essential role of the political parties in parliamentary democracy as well as its extraordinary status among associations is emphasized. This part of thesis discusses situations when state can interfere with freedom of association or freedom of speech. Legally defined reasons for the dissolution of political parties are explained. These legal reasons are defined by criteria abstractly formulated, therefore a statutory interpretation...

This dissertation presents research that is broadly concerned with comparative understanding of the concept of citizenship and its relationship to nationhood, most particularly as it relates to contemporary government policies - what Michel Foucault refers to as 'studies of governmentality' - in Britain and Hong Kong. A major consideration is the assessment of how modern states seek to imbue citizenship with new meanings by mobilising connections to reimagined 'national cultures' and 'national values' as a way of expanding power and limiting access to citizenship. Two cases are selected and examined in this research to elucidate the above concern and consideration. The first is Hong Kong, where a compulsory subject Moral and National Education was proposed in 2012 to cultivate students' positive values and enhance their 'national qualities'. The second is Britain, where all schools and universities since 2015 must by law carry out the Prevent Duty to assess the risk of students becoming terrorists and beginning in 2014 where all schools must actively promote 'fundamental British values'. In both contexts, the education policies and their associated discourses claimed to protect 'our culture', defend 'our values', and promote understanding of 'our nation' Curriculum documents, policy documents, and parliamentary reports related to these education policies are collected and critically analysed in a genealogical approach to reveal (a) the expressions of 'national values' and citizenship in these policy and associated political texts, (b) how these texts and associated discourses influenced the re-imagination of nations, and (c) how the national perspectives expressed ideologically - especially in relation to the narrowing of borders through policies - recast, mediate or alter conceptions of citizenship. The comparative policy landscape in Britain and Hong Kong is assessed by deploying an interdisciplinary framework that addresses nation, citizenship, borders, and governmentality in a unique way. The study of the cases, in return, demonstrates how this framework can be applied to analysing education policies and assessing the rationalities and effects of these policies.

The rise of the 21st Century Islamic extremist movement, which was mobilised by the al-Qaeda attacks of and responses to September 11, 2001, heralds a new period in the history of terrorism. The increased frequency and intensity of this type of terrorism affects every nation in the world, not least Australia. Rising to meet the challenges posed by terrorism is the field of terrorism studies, the field which aims at understanding, explaining, and countering terrorism. Despite the importance of the field, it has been beleaguered with criticisms since its inception as a response to the rise of international terrorism. These criticisms specifically aim at the field's lack of objectivity, abstraction, levels of research, and levels of analysis. These criticisms were the impetus behind the adoption of the methodology of this thesis, which offers the distinct ability to understand, explain, and forecast the way in which terrorists interact within covert cells. Through social network analysis, this thesis examines four terrorist cells that have operated in or against Australia. These cells are from the groups Hrvatsko Revolucionarno Bratstvo (Croatian Revolutionary Brotherhood), Aum Shinrikyo (Supreme Truth), Lashkar-e-Taiba (Army of the Pure), and Jemaah Islamiyah (Islamic Community) and operated between 1963 and 2003. Essentially, this methodology attempts to discover, map, and analyse the interaction within the cells during the covert stage of their respective operations. Following this, the results are analysed through the traditional social network analysis frameworks to discover the internal dynamics of the cell and identify the critical nodes (leaders) within the cells. Destabilisation techniques are subsequently employed, targeting these critical nodes to establish the most effective disruption techniques from a counter-terrorism point of view. The major findings of this thesis are: (1) that cells with a focus on efficiency rather than covertness were more successful in completing their objectives (contrary to popular belief); and (2) betweenness centrality (control over the flow of communication) is a critical factor in identifying leaders within terrorist cells. The analysis also offered significant insight into how a Jemaah Islamiyah cell might operate effectively in Australia, as well as the importance of local contacts to terrorist operations and the significance of international counter-terrorism cooperation and coordination.

Adaptability and invisibility are hallmarks of modern terrorism, and keeping pace with its dynamic nature presents a serious challenge for societies throughout the world. Innovations in computer science have incorporated applied mathematics to develop a wide array of predictive models to support the variety of approaches to counterterrorism. Predictive models are usually designed to forecast the location of attacks. Although this may protect individual structures or locations, it does not reduce the threat—it merely changes the target. While predictive models dedicated to events or social relationships receive much attention where the mathematical and social science communities intersect, models dedicated to terrorist locations such as safe-houses (rather than their targets or training sites) are rare and possibly nonexistent. At the time of this research, there were no publically available models designed to predict locations where violent extremists are likely to reside. This research uses France as a case study to present a complex systems model that incorporates multiple quantitative, qualitative and geospatial variables that differ in terms of scale, weight, and type. Though many of these variables are recognized by specialists in security studies, there remains controversy with respect to their relative importance, degree of interaction, and interdependence. Additionally, some of the variables proposed in this research are not generally recognized as drivers, yet they warrant examination based on their potential role within a complex system. This research tested multiple regression models and determined that geographically-weighted regression analysis produced the most accurate result to accommodate non-stationary coefficient behavior, demonstrating that geographic variables are critical to understanding and predicting the phenomenon of terrorism. This dissertation presents a flexible prototypical model that can be refined and applied to other regions to inform stakeholders such as policy-makers and law enforcement in their efforts to improve national security and enhance quality-of-life.

本論文以近年歐盟會員國境內之孤狼恐怖攻擊趨勢出發，分析歐盟因應孤狼恐怖主義威脅所制定之反恐政策，同時評估歐盟反恐政策之內外反恐成效，藉此檢視孤狼恐怖主義與歐盟反恐政策之因果關係。孤狼恐怖主義緣起於美國「無領袖反抗運動」與「暴力激進化」，並透過「全球伊斯蘭反抗運動」與「外國恐怖主義戰士」成為歐盟內部安全之威脅來源；而歐盟反恐政策之決策機構與執行機關，業已透過戰略方針與行動計畫等歐盟反恐法律文件，對內建立合作機制與輔助工具等內部反恐網絡，藉此強化歐盟與歐盟會員國之間的警察合作、司法合作、資訊與情報交換合作、以及邊境安全合作；對外則透過國際協定形式，與重要第三國以及國際組織建構外部反恐網絡，以雙邊與多邊反恐合作形式強化歐盟反恐能量。本論文亦以四起孤狼恐怖攻擊個案分析歐盟會員國層級之反恐措施，分析近年歐盟孤狼恐怖主義之現況與趨勢。 本論文發現，歐盟孤狼恐怖主義來自「聖戰恐怖主義」、「本土恐怖主義」、與「外國恐怖主義戰士」等三種威脅，而歐盟近年因應孤狼恐怖主義威脅之反恐政策與措施，已朝向2005年11月30日歐盟部長理事會《歐盟反恐政策》四大反恐戰略的「預防」層面發展，並以外國恐怖主義戰士為重要反恐目標；此外，歐盟除了著手打擊「激進化」與「暴力極端主義」等導致孤狼恐怖主義之根本原因原因外，亦持續因應敘利亞與伊拉克等衝突地區之「返國外國恐怖主義戰士」所帶來的後伊斯蘭國時代孤狼恐怖主義威脅。 / With the trend of lone-wolf terrorism in member states of the European Union, the thesis analyzes EU’s policy to counter threat from lone-wolf terrorism and also evaluates internal and external effectiveness of EU’s counter-terrorism policy, in an attempt to examine the correlation between lone-wolf terrorism and EU’s counter-terrorism policy. Lone-wolf terrorism originated in the United States from the “Leaderless Resistance” and “Violent Extremism” and further threatened EU’s internal security via “Global Islamic Resistance Movement” and “Foreign Terrorist Fighters.” The decision-making as well as the executing agencies of EU’s counter-terrorism policy has established mechanisms of cooperation and policy toolkits for internal counter-terrorism network by means of EU’s legal documents of counter-terrorism, strategic guidelines and implementing programs included, in order to consolidate cooperation of police, justice, exchange of communication and intelligence, as well as border security between EU and member states. Meanwhile, EU has also been constructing its external counter-terrorism network with bilateral and multilateral agreements with third states and international organizations of importance. The thesis also offers four case studies of lone-wolf terrorist attacks of EU’s member states to analyze conditions and trends of lone-wolf terrorism in EU. The thesis concludes that “Jihadist terrorism,” “Home-grown Terrorism,” and “Foreign Terrorist Fighters” are the three main types of threat of lone-wolf terrorism in EU, and that EU counter-terrorism policy has been developing strategy of “prevention”, one of which stated in “EU’s Counter-terrorism Strategies” of November 30th, 2005, by Council of the European Union, and considering foreign terrorist fighters as its main target. Additionally, EU has been countering not only root causes of lone-wolf terrorism, such as “radicalisation” and “violent extremism,” but also future threats from “Returning Foreign Terrorists Fighters” heading back home from Syria and Iraq in the Era of Post-Islamic State.