Savremeni terorizam kao pretnja bezbednosti

Abstract

Terrorism is one of the most frequently used words in the media and the most effective political words of today. However, although there is a lot of talk about terrorism in the media as well as in the professional and scientific literature, it seems that this term remains insufficiently explained. When asked why this is so, the answer lies in a number of reasons that are mainly characteristics of the modern world. Some of the reasons include the complexity of terrorism as a phenomenon and the multitude of its manifestations. Then, thre is the subjectivity in defining this term and the different political interests that lead to the duality of standards in its definition. Also, various aspects of the time in which we live (digitalization, faster flow of information, greater availability of weapons, etc.) contribute to making terrorism more dynamic and thus more intriguing for the public. Today, more than ever, in considering terrorism, we must take into account a number of factors, primarily criminological ones and then legal, political, sociological and military factors of the modern world. This leads us to the conclusion that modern terrorism and the view of it are significantly different from their earlier manifestations. Therefore, the authors present the characteristics of modern terrorism, starting from the theoretical definition of security challenges, risks and threats, through the definition and classification of terrorism to the problems in countering terrorism and the context of the time in which we live. If we take into account that the period after the attack on the World Trade Center is considered a period of modern terrorism, we will see that the emphasis is on Islamist terrorism. However, although most attention is paid to Islamist terrorist organizations, the trends of terrorism are now increasingly turning to European and Western countries. This tells us that we must not forget other forms, types and forms of terrorism. Right-wing extremist, terrorist organizations are a real threat, and the fight against terrorism is a difficult task that the global society of the 21st century has set to itself as the primary security problem. Therefore, the paper identifies key obstacles to a successful fight against terrorism. The paper places a special emphasis on the global monitoring of terrorist activities through the World Terrorism Index. Using these bases, some of the important characteristics of modern terrorism have been determined.