Terrorist Attacks In Paris Research Articles

Study on the Interactive Mechanism between Racism and Terrorism in Europe

Given the growing racial and religious tensions in Europe and the frequent occurrences of terrorist activities, studying the correlation between the two can provide a theoretical basis for preventing terrorist activities. This study aims to explore the logical relationship and interaction mechanism between them. Taking the Paris terrorist attack in 2015 as an example, adopting the analytical dualism theory, this paper analyzes the mutual influence paths between racial discrimination and terrorist activities and discusses from cultural and structural perspectives the conditions under which racism becomes the hotbed for extremism, as well as the ways terrorist organizations manipulate racial issues to expand influence. The study concludes that racial divides in Europe provide a real basis for the spread of extremism, while extremist organizations also manipulate racial, customary, and religious emotions through online and offline means to expand influence, and the two reinforce each other. To thoroughly break this vicious cycle, positive multicultural identity needs to be promoted, structural discrimination between races needs to be eliminated at the social system level, and the independent thinking abilities and subjectivity of minority ethnic groups need to be enhanced to block the conduction of resentful emotions towards terrorism at its root.

National challenges for trauma surgery in Germany due to violence and war

Due to the war in Ukraine and the treatment of patients with war wounds in the hospitals of the TraumaNetworks of the German Society for Trauma Surgery (TraumaNetzwerke DGU®), injuries from life-threatening mission situations (LebEL), terrorism, violence and war have become a matter of daily professional life. Furthermore, the societal and global feeling of security has fundamentally changed. The much-cited term "turning point in history", the reorientation of the Armed Forces and the investigation of the resilience of the healthcare system with respect to the "fitness for war", approximate to the description of the current challenges for trauma surgery (UCH) in Germany. Based on the developments following the terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015 and in Brussels in 2016, a clarification is given as to which adaptations have already been successful and how quickly an improvement could successfully be achieved. In this context, the concept of tactical care and the course on Terror and Disaster Surgical Care (TDSC), for example, have been game changing. The main challenge currently lies in overcoming the structural alterations in the German healthcare system and professionally in the treatment of war wounded personnel from Ukraine. The knowledge gained from these two national tasks must be analyzed for the future development and adaptation of established treatment structures, e.g., of the TraumaNetzwerke DGU®, under the requirements of the increased resilience against war, terrorism and violence. The aim is to name that which has already been achieved with respect to the national challenges for UCH and at the same time to outline or discuss further necessities for improvements and elimination of possible gaps in capabilities.

Interdisciplinary approach to identify language markers for post-traumatic stress disorder using machine learning and deep learning

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) lacks clear biomarkers in clinical practice. Language as a potential diagnostic biomarker for PTSD is investigated in this study. We analyze an original cohort of 148 individuals exposed to the November 13, 2015, terrorist attacks in Paris. The interviews, conducted 5–11 months after the event, include individuals from similar socioeconomic backgrounds exposed to the same incident, responding to identical questions and using uniform PTSD measures. Using this dataset to collect nuanced insights that might be clinically relevant, we propose a three-step interdisciplinary methodology that integrates expertise from psychiatry, linguistics, and the Natural Language Processing (NLP) community to examine the relationship between language and PTSD. The first step assesses a clinical psychiatrist's ability to diagnose PTSD using interview transcription alone. The second step uses statistical analysis and machine learning models to create language features based on psycholinguistic hypotheses and evaluate their predictive strength. The third step is the application of a hypothesis-free deep learning approach to the classification of PTSD in our cohort. Results show that the clinical psychiatrist achieved a diagnosis of PTSD with an AUC of 0.72. This is comparable to a gold standard questionnaire (Area Under Curve (AUC) ≈ 0.80). The machine learning model achieved a diagnostic AUC of 0.69. The deep learning approach achieved an AUC of 0.64. An examination of model error informs our discussion. Importantly, the study controls for confounding factors, establishes associations between language and DSM-5 subsymptoms, and integrates automated methods with qualitative analysis. This study provides a direct and methodologically robust description of the relationship between PTSD and language. Our work lays the groundwork for advancing early and accurate diagnosis and using linguistic markers to assess the effectiveness of pharmacological treatments and psychotherapies.

Collective memories and social roles: the case of the Paris terrorist attacks of 13 November 2015.

The present study was based on empirical data collected during the first phase (2016) of Study 1000, part of the 13-November Program: a corpus of 934 individual interviews conducted 6-11 months after the events. To process this empirical material, the authors used integrated TXM software, which provides several classic textometry tools. They mainly used the lexical specificity analysis tool, which statistically measures the irregularity of the word distribution according to the parts of the corpus. They also analyzed the concordances of certain very specific lexical forms. Analysis revealed the important influence of social roles on the construction of memories and narratives of this event. Application of textometry tools highlighted lexical fields specific to the different social roles played by the interviewees in this social drama, and showed that it was through these specific vocabularies that they remembered and recounted this extraordinary story. Social roles therefore influence the formation of memories both individual and collective, by modulating the way in which individuals select what to remember and what to forget. The article opens up several interesting avenues for future analyses, mainly a longitudinal perspective (including phases 2 and 3 of Study 1000) for the study of flashbulb memories and the gender issue to fine-tune the analysis of social roles.

Pitfalls to countering disinformation: Analyzing local newspaper response to the ‘Syrian refugee rape case’ in Twin Falls, Idaho

ABSTRACT The paper examines the local newspaper’s response to the “Syrian refugee rape case” disinformation campaign in Twin Falls, Idaho, 2016. Drawing upon the pervasive climate of fear surrounding Syrian refugees that followed the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, the disinformation campaign targeted refugee resettlement efforts in the city. The study employs a critical thematic analysis of prominent journalistic techniques deployed by the paper and the themes used to depict refugees in the news texts. The analysis identifies dominant patterns in the news articles and reveals how these strands drew upon deep-rooted cultural discourses and news coverage routines. The study suggests steps that can be incorporated by local journalists while responding to disinformation. Findings from the study can be applied to other media formats and will play an important role in countering disinformation about refugees.

Initiation of multiple-session psychological care in civilians exposed to the November 2015 Paris terrorist attacks

BackgroundTerrorist attacks can induce post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, which require multiple-session psychological care (MSPC). This study aims at investigating MSPC initiation and associated factors.MethodsData were collected from a web-based survey of civilians 8–12 months after their exposure to the November 2015 Paris terrorist attacks. Depression and partial and full PTSD were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the PCL-5 checklist, respectively. Questionnaires collected data on socio-demographic variables, exposure to the attacks, psychological treatment history, social isolation, somatic problems, having received an outreach psychological support (OPS), consultations with a general practitioner, contact with an association for victims, MSPC initiation and, if not, reasons for not having initiated it. Logistic regressions were used to examine factors associated with MSPC initiation.ResultsAmong the 450 respondents, 154 reported having initiated a MSPC after the attacks. Of the 134 who provided the MSPC initiation date, 50% did so during the first month. Among the respondents with at least one of the considered psychological disorders, 53% declared not having initiated yet a MSPC. The primary three reasons for not having initiated a MSPC among people with PTSD were “did not feel the need”, “it was not the right time to talk about it”, and “not offered”. For people with at least one psychological disorder, MSPC initiation was associated with the number of somatic problems, type of exposure (witness, threatened, indirectly exposed), prior psychological treatment, being a woman, being in a relationship, having consulted a psychiatrist or a psychologist, having received an OPS, and being in contact with association for victims.ConclusionThe organization of adequate psychological care after a terror attack must take into account the need for healthcare that may emerge several months after the attack, and that witnesses seem less likely to receive MSPC than persons directly threatened despite their psychological disorder. Associations for victims and OPS seem to facilitate access to MSPC. Furthermore, our findings highlight the need to train physicians to screen for psychological disorders in persons exposed to terrorist attacks who present with somatic disorders.

Resilience training for critical situation management. An umbrella and a systematic literature review

The literature on resilience training (RT) mainly focuses on long-term personal hardship, and sees resilience as a general capacity that can be applied regardless the context. However, this view of resilience is unsatisfactory when it comes to the effective management of critical situations (e.g. the Paris terrorist attacks in 2015, or the Fukushima nuclear accident). Approaches such as Resilience Engineering (RE) see resilience as a property of a system, but their focus on systemic resilience makes application to training individuals difficult. This systematic literature review addresses these issues by parsing RT interventions that prepare professionals to develop a situated capability to resist and efficiently react to critical situations in their work. Twenty-one articles were evaluated in terms of their conceptualisation of resilience, intervention characteristics, study characteristics, and outcomes. We identified five types of RT: preparedness training, stress inoculation training, personal efficacy training, RE training, and team resilience training. The five types of RT can be categorised in an individual-oriented and system-oriented perspective. We argue that neither of these perspectives provide professionals with sufficient tools to effectively respond to critical situations. To bring RT in safety-related domains forward, we suggest that future research (1) seeks conceptual advancements of resilience as a 4E capability (enacted, embodied, embedded, extended), (2) investigates training interventions from a Vocational Education and Training perspective, and (3) embraces a cross-disciplinary approach to resilience and provides empirical data with ecological validity that contribute to enhancing cross-disciplinary resilience.

Psychological responses to jihadist terrorism: Exploring a small but significant opinion shift towards minority inclusion among French citizens in response to the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks

AbstractExperiences with jihadist terrorism sparked debates about the boundaries of religious expression within secular societies. Standpoints majority members hold in such discussions may be inclusive or exclusive towards religious minorities and inform wider intergroup perceptions. The present research explores these relationships in the context of the 2015 Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks in Paris, France. Using longitudinal data from a diverse French sample (N = 558) collected before and after the attacks, we test whether within‐person changes in exclusionary and inclusionary interpretations of the French Laïcité principle can account for changes in public perceptions of context‐relevant minorities. Meta‐analytical findings suggest a small significant conservative shift after experiences with terrorism. Previous research conducted in the context of the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks departed from this pattern, however, without identifying underlying psychological mechanisms. Accordingly, the present data suggests a small but significant opinion shift in favor of context‐relevant minorities. This shifting was partially explained through an increased endorsement of an inclusionary interpretation of the Laïcité principle that stresses the freedom of religious expression. We offer a contextualized interpretation of our data, suggesting that the collective coping dynamics that followed the events (i.e., republican marches, #JeSuisCharlie) have been critical for the observed effects.

Peritraumatic physical symptoms and the clinical trajectory of PTSD after a terrorist attack: a network model approach

ABSTRACT Introduction: Following a mass casualty event, such as the Paris terrorist attacks of 13 November 2015, first responders need to identify individuals at risk of PTSD. Physical peritraumatic symptoms involving the autonomic nervous system may be useful in this task. Objective: We sought to determine the trajectory of physical response intensity in individuals exposed to the Paris terrorist attacks using repeated measures, and to examine its associations with PTSD. Using network modelling, we examined whether peritraumatic physical symptom associations differed by PTSD status. Methods: Physical reactions were assessed using the Subjective Physical Reactions Scale at three time points: peritraumatic by retrospective recall, then current at one year (8–18 months) and three years (30–42 months) after the attacks. Interaction networks between peritraumatic physical reactions were compared according to PTSD status. Results: On the one hand, the reported intensity of physical reactions was significantly higher in the PTSD group at all time points. On the other hand, using the dynamic approach, more robust positive interactions between peritraumatic physical reactions were found in the PTSD group one and three years after the attacks. Negative interactions were found in the no-PTSD group at one year. Peritraumatic physical numbness was found to be the most central network symptom in the PTSD group, whereas it was least central in the no-PTSD group. Discussion: Network analysis of the interaction between peritraumatic physical subjective responses, particularly physical numbness, may provide insight into the clinical course of PTSD. Our knowledge of the brain regions involved in dissociation supports the hypothesis that the periaqueductal grey may contribute to the process leading to physical numbing. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the role of peritraumatic somatic symptoms in the course of PTSD. Peritraumatic physical numbness appears to be a key marker of PTSD and its identification may help to improve early triage.

Terrorism Definiens in Terrorism Insurance

The terrorism insurance market is a constantly growing industry as a result of the rise in terrorism and associated violence around the world. This trend has captured the attention of the Indian insurance sector as well. More and more people, companies, and organizations are getting insurance to protect themselves in case a terrorist attack occurs in the future. However, what exactly is terrorism insurance? Is it given under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2008 or any other related and applicable national or state legislation formulated? Terrorism insurance offers coverage for damages resulting from the aforementioned terrorist acts or guarantees to hold the insurer harmless in the event of such losses. The Indian Market Terrorism Risk Insurance Pool, which is managed by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority, is now used by general insurers to offer property insurance. As foreign re-insurers withdrew their terrorist coverage following the 9/11 attacks in the United States of America, general insurers took the initiative to create the pool in April 2002. The cost of terrorism insurance, according to insurers, has decreased recently because there haven’t been any significant losses in the pool. The pool’s capacity has increased to 4,500 crore. But, the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and London as well as the ongoing enemy infiltration over our borders have stoked panic, leading to a rise in terrorism insurance in India. Despite the pool taking advantage of this fear, there is no legal framework in place to control it. While the United States and other nations have laws covering similar matters, this research study examines whether India also needs such legislation

Impact of geopolitical risk on the volatility of natural resource commodity futures prices in China

Volatile natural resource prices greatly affect economic growth, economic volatility, and financial market. Analyzing the factors affecting price volatility is of great significance for policymakers to formulate regulations, for financial institutions to control financial risks and for investors to improve their investment returns. We study the impact of geopolitical risk on the price volatility of coal, copper, crude oil, gold, and iron ore in the Chinese futures market. The paper uses the Geopolitical Risk (GPR) index, the Geopolitical Threat (GPT) sub-index and the Geopolitical Action (GPA) sub-index developed by Caldara and Iacoviello to measure geopolitical risk in broader sense. We utilize the closing prices of the most recently expired futures contracts from their starting trading date to 1 August 2022 to determine volatility represented by conditional variance. The GARCH and CGARCH models are built with the help of the Kalman filtering method and a TVP-VAR-SV model. The results of GARCH model show that geopolitical risk significantly increases the price volatility of coal, iron ore, and crude oil futures; significantly decreases the price volatility of gold; and has no significant effect on the price volatility of copper futures. By CGARCH model, we illustrate that geopolitical risk significantly increases the overall volatility, persistent volatility, and temporary volatility of crude oil; significantly increases the overall volatility and temporary volatility of coal and iron ore futures; significantly decreases the overall volatility and persistent volatility of gold futures; and has no significant impact on all three types of volatility of copper futures prices. The results of the Kalman filter analysis uncover that the response of each commodity volatility to changes in geopolitical risk increases when geopolitical risk is high. Additionally, geopolitical risk has the most effect on the price volatility of copper and crude oil with high external dependence. Estimates from the TVP-VAR-SV model reveal that the short-term impact of geopolitical risk shocks on the volatility of each the futures prices of each commodity is large and of long duration, and the response of commodity futures volatility to the same level of geopolitical risk shocks is higher and longer when major geopolitical events occur such as Paris Terrorist Attack, USA/Iran Tension Escalation, Syria Missile Attack, and Russian-Ukraine War. Moreover, geopolitical shocks have the most effect on the energy commodities of crude oil and coal.

PTSD and Partial PTSD among First Responders One and Five Years after the Paris Terror Attacks in November 2015

Following the Paris terror attacks in November 2015, a large number of first responders (FR) were mobilized and consequently were at risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Based on the ESPA 13 November survey, the objectives of this study were to 1) describe the prevalence of PTSD and partial PTSD in FR five years after the attacks, 2) describe the changes in PTSD and partial PTSD from one to five years after the attacks, and 3) examine factors associated with PTSD and partial PTSD five years after the attacks. Data were collected using an online questionnaire. PTSD and partial PTSD were measured using the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist based on the DSM-5 (PCL-5). Gender, age, responder category, education level, exposure, mental health history, history of traumatic events, training, social support, concern about the COVID-19 epidemic, and somatic problems present after the attacks were all analyzed as potential factors associated with PTSD and partial PTSD using multinomial logistic regression. A total of 428 FR were included 5 years after the attacks, of which 258 had participated also 1 year after the attacks. Five years after the attacks, the prevalence of PTSD and partial PTSD were 8.6% and 22%, respectively. Presence of somatic problems after the attacks were associated with PTSD. Involvement in dangerous crime scenes was associated with a higher risk of partial PTSD. No awareness of psychological risks in the context of professional activity through specific training was associated with partial PTSD, in particular among participants aged 45 years or more. To mitigate PTSD for FR, monitoring mental health symptoms, providing mental health education, and providing treatment may be needed for several years after the attacks.

Mental health impact and mental health care among first responders following the Paris terror attacks in November 2015

Abstract Introduction During the evening of 13 November 2015, a terror attack occurred in France in the Paris area. Overall, 130 people were killed, 643 were injured and several thousands were psychologically impacted. Thousands of first responders (FRs), including health professionals, firefighters, affiliated volunteers and police officers were mobilized that night and during the subsequent weeks. The aims of our study were to measure the psychological impact on FRs, and its associated factors 12 months after the 13 November 2015 terrorist attacks, as well as their engagement in mental health care and its associated factors. Methods FRs who had intervened during the night and/or the aftermath of the terror attacks had the possibility of answering a web-based study 8-12 months after the attacks. They satisfied criterion A of the DSM 5 definition of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD and partial PTSD were measured using the PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and depression with the hospital anxiety and depression (HAD) scale. Results Overall, 663 FRs were included in the analysis. Prevalence of PTSD in our sample went from 3.4% among firefighters to 9.5% among police officers. Low educational level, social isolation, intervention on unsecured crime scenes and lack of training were associated with PTSD. Among FRs with PTSD, partial PTSD or depression, 38% sought mental health care. Mental health care engagement was associated with a history of mental health care, post-immediate support and the presence of PTSD, partial PTSD or depression. Conclusions Our results highlight that improving access to mental health care for FRs after terror attacks is needed. Efforts should be made before and after potentially traumatic events to ensure mental health education for FRs. Special attention should be given to FRs living in social isolation, those with low educational levels and those who intervene in unsecured crime scenes.

Altered predictive control during memory suppression in PTSD.

Aberrant predictions of future threat lead to maladaptive avoidance in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). How this disruption in prediction influences the control of memory states orchestrated by the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is unknown. We combined computational modeling and brain connectivity analyses to reveal how individuals exposed and nonexposed to the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks formed and controlled beliefs about future intrusive re-experiencing implemented in the laboratory during a memory suppression task. Exposed individuals with PTSD used beliefs excessively to control hippocampal activity during the task. When this predictive control failed, the prediction-error associated with unwanted intrusions was poorly downregulated by reactive mechanisms. This imbalance was linked to higher severity of avoidance symptoms, but not to general disturbances such as anxiety or negative affect. Conversely, trauma-exposed participants without PTSD and nonexposed individuals were able to optimally balance predictive and reactive control during the memory suppression task. These findings highlight a potential pathological mechanism occurring in individuals with PTSD rooted in the relationship between the brain’s predictive and control mechanisms.

Avoidance behaviour generalizes to eye processing in posttraumatic stress disorder

ABSTRACT Background Avoidance describes any action designed to prevent an uncomfortable situation or emotion from occurring. Although it is a common reaction to trauma, avoidance becomes problematic when it is the primary coping strategy, and plays a major role in the development and maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Avoidance in PTSD may generalize to non-harmful environmental cues that are perceived to be unsafe. Objective We tested whether avoidance extends to social cues (i.e. emotional gazes) that are unrelated to trauma. Method A total of 159 participants (103 who had been exposed to the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks and 56 who had not) performed a gaze-cueing task featuring sad, happy and neutral faces. Attention to the eye area was recorded using an eyetracker. Of the exposed participants, 52 had been diagnosed with PTSD (PTSD+) and 51 had not developed PTSD (PTSD-). As a result of the preprocessing stages, 52 PTSD+ (29 women), 50 PTSD- (20 women) and 53 nonexposed (31 women) participants were included in the final analyses. Results PTSD+ participants looked at sad eyes for significantly less time than PTSD- and nonexposed individuals. This effect was negatively correlated with the intensity of avoidance symptoms. No difference was found for neutral and happy faces. Conclusions These findings suggest that maladaptive avoidance in PTSD extends to social processing, in terms of eye contact and others’ emotions that are unrelated to trauma. New therapeutic directions could include targeting sociocognitive deficits. Our findings open up new and indirect avenues for overcoming maladaptive avoidance behaviours by remediating eye processing. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02810197. HIGHLIGHTS Avoidance is a key symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Avoidance is often viewed as limited to reminders linked to the trauma. Results show that attention to the eyes of sad faces is also affected by PTSD. This effect is correlated with avoidance symptoms in PTSD

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France's Membership in Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and Financing of the Paris Terror Attacks in 2015

France is one of founding members FATF with other G-7 countries and FATF’s headquarters location. According to FATF and Europol, France is not only known as one of low level risk countries in financing terrorism but also as EU member state with the most terror acts in 2015. This research is attempt to explain why the French counter terrorism financing policy based on FATF standards is not able to prevent the financing terrorism practices of Paris terror attacks in 2015. This research method used qualitative approach and used historical institutionalism approach to see how institutional evolution of FATF, France involvement in FATF decision, and the influence of FATF decision on France relates to countering terrorism financing. The findings and analysis of this research cover certain several things such as the historical aspects in 25 years France membership in FATF, the French characteristics, and the funding Paris terror attacks in 2015. The result of this study indicated that although France has important role in FATF, but historically, France has ignored some important things which encourage the financing activities for terrorist network.

Memory dynamics in times of crisis: An interview with Sarah Gensburger

Working at the intersection of political science, ethnographic sociology, and contemporary historiography, Sarah Gensburger specializes in the social dynamics of memory. In this interview, she talks about her book Memory on My Doorstep: Chronicles of the Bataclan Neighborhood, Paris 2015–2016, which traces the evolving memorialization processes following the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, their impact on the local landscape, and the social appropriations of the past by visitors at memorials and commemorative sites. She also discusses her new project Vitrines en confinement—Vetrine in quarantena (“Windows in Lockdown”), which documents public responses to the coronavirus pandemic from different sites across Europe through the creation of a photographic archive of public space. The interview highlights issues around the immediacy of contemporary memorialization practices, the ways in which people engage with their local space during times of crisis, and how we are all actively involved in preserving memory for the future.

Muslims and mosques in France: navigating the ‘cultural/religious’ dichotomy through God’s witnessing and the holism of Islam

ABSTRACT The French state’s laïcité is characterised by a paradox of neutrality: the state claims neutrality while constantly intervening in the religious field, including in the definition of religion in relationship to categories like culture. How do Muslims navigate this paradoxical secular governmentality in relation to the legal and social representation of mosques’ activities as either religious or cultural? Muslims have been able to register new mosques in France either as ‘cultural’ (based on the 1901 law of associations) or ‘religious’ (based on the 1905 law of separation) associations. However, in recent years (particularly after the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks) state representatives have pushed local mosque leaders to adopt the ‘religious’ status. This contribution not only discusses the secular nature of the cultural/religious dichotomy and its role in the process of establishing mosques in France since the 1926 creation of the Grand Mosque of Paris, but also analyses how Muslim pieties centred around God’s witnessing (shāhidiyya) and the holism (jamʿiya) of Islam encounter and operate through a central component of the French secular governmentality of mosques, the cultural/religious distinction.

Changes in benzodiazepine use in the French general population after November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris: an interrupted time series analysis of the national CONSTANCES cohort

ObjectivesTo determine whether the terrorist attacks occurring in Paris on November 2015 have changed benzodiazepine use in the French population.DesignInterrupted time series analysis.SettingNational population-based cohort.Participants90 258 individuals included in the...