Why international terrorism is the main threat. Causes of terrorism

The problem of terrorism in the modern world in all its manifestations has become one of the most urgent topics for the world community. It entails mass casualties among the innocent civilian population. As a result of the actions of bandits, cultural and material values ​​are destroyed, which are very difficult to restore within a few years. Terror attacks breed hatred and mistrust between national groups. They forced the authorities of many countries to think about the international struggle against them.

For many people and organizations, terrorism has become a way of national and religious problems. Terror attacks are among those types of crimes, the victims of which are mostly innocent citizens, children and the elderly. They have nothing to do with the international conflicts that have arisen. The scale and cruelty of the manifestations of modern terrorism make us raise the issue of new legal methods of combating it.

What it is?

To reveal the essence of the problem of terrorism in the modern world, it is necessary to find out what this term means. The word "terrorism" means one of the variants of political struggle associated with ideologically motivated violence. Its essence is violence to intimidate the population. As a rule, terrorist attacks are prepared by individuals or organizations. Their goal is power in the face of individual officials or society in the face of the civilian population. Terrorists may also target private or public property, important infrastructures and life support systems. The goal of criminals is to achieve the development of events they desire, as a rule, the situation in the country, inciting a revolution, declaring war, gaining independence of a certain territory, obtaining concessions from the current government, and more.

Although terrorism is a global problem of the modern world, legislators in different countries have not come to a consensus on its definition. In most states, acts that are dangerous to society are considered terrorism. At the same time, they were committed with the aim of intimidating the population or its social groups. The purpose of the terrorist is to draw as much attention to the crime as possible. At the same time, he wants to influence any decision previously made by the authorities of the country. Terrorism is closely related to a more general concept - terror, which is one of the ways to control popular opinion through intimidation. This method of influence is resorted to by both states and various organizations that are trying to solve political issues in this way.

Appearance conditions

Many people ask themselves: what feature the problem of terrorism in the modern world? An important feature of world terrorism is that a prerequisite for the commission of a criminal act is to attract the maximum attention of the world community to this act. A wide resonance, the dissemination of as much information as possible about the crime only plays into the hands of the bandits. A little-known or secret act of violence loses all meaning.

The widest possible dissemination of information about the committed act of terrorism is necessary for criminals to change the mood in society, because massacres affect mass psychology. Organizations that carry out inhuman crimes demonstrate their strength and capabilities, declaring that they are ready to go all the way to achieve their goal. Bandits sacrifice not only their own lives, but also the lives of innocent people. They declare to everyone that there is a force in society that under no circumstances will reconcile itself to the existing order of things and will continue to fight.

What do terrorists want?

In order to find out what problems of terrorism exist in the modern world, it is briefly necessary to describe the goals of criminals that they pursue when committing an act of violence. They are as follows:

1. Demonstration of powerlessness. In the place where the crime took place, the power has lost its power. In this place, laws and morality were violated, an alternative to the current administration was established.
2. Propaganda by action. The resulting act of violence causes some members of society to sympathize with the terrorists, as well as join their ranks.
3. The emergence of anti-government sentiments, the intensification of the work of opposition forces, since the terrorist attack is interpreted as a sign of the weakness of the state system. All these actions push the authorities to concessions.
4. The crime negatively affects the economy of the country where the incident occurred. The image of the city is deteriorating, the flow of tourists is decreasing.
5. Terrorists are pushing the country to change its political course. Often the goal of bandits is to transfer power to an authoritarian form of government.

The problem of terrorism in the modern world is that a terrorist act is the most dangerous form of destabilization of society. Other methods, such as unleashing a civil war, strikes, uprisings, military destabilization, riots, require more effort and resources. Also, the implementation of plans will require the support of other anti-government forces. To organize enough support for terrorists by a narrow stratum of society. Also, criminals do not need large technical resources.

The problem of terrorism in the modern world is that any act of terrorism is one of the ways to weaken the power, to destroy the political system. Lawyers classify terrorists as criminals who go against the constitutional foundations of the country. They threaten the security of the entire state as a whole.

Society and terrorists

The main problem of countering terrorism in the modern world is that a terrorist act requires nationwide, and even better, worldwide publicity, therefore, for its existence, it needs an information society. It first appeared in the 19th century in Europe. It is there that an enlightened society reads newspapers daily. Over time, the media become a more powerful force. The greater the role of journalists, the wider the wave of terrorism can be.

Another global problem of terrorism in the modern world is the development of technologies that allow you to instantly disseminate information about a committed terrorist attack around the globe. With the development of scientific and technological progress, the industrial environment becomes more and more vulnerable. In the world of modern technology, humanity is faced with disasters that occur without the intervention of criminals. Also, the problem of countering terrorism in the modern world is that the ability of the state to control the activities of each person or group of persons is extremely limited.

Also, the emergence of terrorism is influenced by the change in society, which strives for liberal values. Citizens are getting closer to the idea of ​​a social contract, where the safety and life of a person must be guaranteed by the state. Terrorists, by their actions, are trying to prove to the whole world that officials and law enforcement agencies are not able to guarantee a calm and peaceful existence for their citizens. Therefore, the government should be held accountable for the crimes of criminals. If society, on the contrary, tries to rally against a common misfortune, while supporting power with all its might, then terrorist acts lose their power.

In prosperous countries, there are such manifestations of terrorism, when mentally unbalanced people commit acts of violence. However, such phenomena are observed quite rarely. Most often, the grounds for committing mass murder of citizens are liberation movements, as well as religious and national conflicts.

Problem international terrorism in the modern world lies in the fact that these bandits can exist only on the condition that a certain part of the citizens will sympathize with them. Unlike trained military saboteurs who can work alone, terrorists need the moral and physical support of citizens. In this they are in many ways similar to the partisans. If support fades, then the terrorist organization will not be able to exist for a long time.

The essence of the problem of terrorism in the modern world is that its appearance is an indicator of the crisis in the country. This is a mechanism of communication between society and power, between a separate cell of society and the entire population of the state. Such crimes testify to the trouble in the social space. At the same time, it is unlikely that it will be possible to solve the problem that has arisen only by force. The suppression and localization of bandit organizations are only part of the solution. Other methods of struggle should be political and cultural transformations, which will remove the need for a radical solution of the problem on the part of society.

Varieties

The division of terrorism into types and classes is a difficult task, given its diversity. Nevertheless, experts divide the problem of terrorism in the modern world into areas depending on the type of activity of criminals:

1. An individual criminal who commits a crime alone. In today's world, terrorists rarely operate without the support of an organization. Therefore, an attack on the official Vera Zasulich in 1878 can be cited as an example of the manifestation of such criminal activity.
2. Collective terrorist activity is planned and carried out by a large organization. In our time, it is organized terrorism that is most common.

Terrorists also pursue different goals. Depending on this, the following types are distinguished:

1. Religious. It is associated with the struggle of adherents of one religion with adherents of another. Sometimes terrorists want to change government from secular to religious.
2. National. The bandits in this case pursue separatist goals.
3. A social and ideological view that requires a change in the political and economic policy of the country. Sometimes this type of protest is called revolutionary. Examples include the Social Revolutionaries, anarchists and fascists.

Terrorist methods

Terrorists have several methods at their disposal to draw attention to themselves. Let's consider them in more detail:

1. Explosions of important government or military buildings, transport hubs, residential buildings, theaters, restaurants.
2. Kidnapping of statesmen, journalists, high-ranking military men. The main purpose of kidnapping is blackmail in order to exchange for accomplices.
3. Political assassinations of officials, police officers, military.
4. The capture of buildings in which there are a large number of people. After such a step, terrorists usually want to negotiate with the authorities. Hostages are either killed or released. This manifestation of terrorism is gaining popularity in our time.
5. Capture of transport planes, ships, buses with hostages. Most often, this form of terrorism manifested itself in the 80s of the last century.
6. Robbery of banks, shops, private houses, kidnapping for ransom. This is a minor form of terrorism, but it brings profit to the bandits.
7. Beatings and abuse of people. Terrorism in this manifestation is an act of psychological pressure on a person.
8. Terrorism using biological weapons. An example is the distribution of letters containing a poisonous substance.
9. Poisoning victims with radioactive elements.

The arsenal of terrorists is constantly expanding. Recently, computer terrorism has been gaining popularity. The authorities need to be prepared for the fact that any technically complex facilities and storage facilities can become a target for radical organizations.

Modern terrorists

Often people want to understand the causes of the problem of terrorism in the modern world. We will briefly try to describe them below. Terrorism was activated with renewed vigor at the dawn of the 20th century. There are several reasons for this phenomenon, for example, the economic crisis, arms sales and explosives on the black market, the weakening of state institutions, the growth of criminal structures, uncontrolled migration, local conflicts.

The problem of terrorism in the modern world lies in the fact that some terrorist attacks are carried out by radical groups, for example, the explosion of the monument to Tsar Nicholas II in 1998 near Moscow, as well as the mining of the monument to Peter I in the Russian capital. Both listed actions ended without casualties among the population. However, such crimes can shake the credibility of the authorities, because such acts were committed in the very center of Russia.

A much more serious problem of combating terrorism in the modern world arose when attacks were carried out related to the war in Chechnya. Bandits blew up houses, markets, took hostages in several Russian cities. Most often, crimes occurred in Moscow, Dagestan and Volgodonsk. Chechen terrorists are very organized and have a stable source of income.

Among the most high-profile crimes is the seizure by criminals led by Basayev of a maternity hospital in Budennovsk at the end of the 20th century. It ended with the return of the terrorists to the territory not controlled by Russia. Another high-profile hostage-taking took place in Moscow, on Dubrovka, during the musical Nord-Ost, in 2002. As a result of the crime, several dozen hostages died, all the terrorists were eliminated during the assault.

The new kind

The problem of combating terrorism in the modern world has now become aggravated with renewed vigor, because at the moment the world is threatened by nuclear terrorism. Also, kidnapping for the purpose of blackmail or ransom is becoming more and more common. The reason for the problem of terrorism in the modern world lies in the attitude of ordinary people towards terrorists in the country. It depends on the attitude of society to the current political system, as well as on the goals that criminals dream of achieving. Also, the condemnation or support of terrorists by the civilian population depends on the liberal values ​​of a particular state, the prices human life, the level of enlightenment and legal awareness of citizens.

If terrorism has arisen due to social, political or cultural problems, then a small part of society, especially suffering from the resulting crisis in the country, will support terrorists different ways. Thanks to a positive attitude towards yourself, the bandits who kill civilians and organize terrorist attacks will have a chance to recruit more people. The resolution of painful problems relieves tension in society, eliminates the split between warring organizations, and deprives terrorist groups of support from the population.

Citizens who are faced with a terrorist threat, as a rule, change their attitude towards this phenomenon. The shock associated with the attack of bandits on civilians splits society. Some reject terrorists, condemning their actions. Others justify the action of the bandits, recognizing that in certain situations it is impossible to do without drastic measures. If terrorist groups become active in the country, committing more and more crimes, almost the entire civilian population condemns their actions, seeing how innocent people suffer. A group that once supported terrorism is changing its mind. Popular support for criminals is waning.

The influence of evolution on attitudes towards terrorism

The attitude of people towards terrorist acts is influenced by the historical evolution of the assessment of such a phenomenon. Society treated these crimes differently at different stages of its development. historical development. So, during the appearance of the first terrorist organizations, their members were considered fighters for freedom, equality and independence.

In the early 1920s, organizations organizing acts of violence in warring countries existed quite legally in their homeland. They were supported in every possible way by their native state. As liberal sentiment developed in the countries of Western Europe, terrorists found themselves outside the law. After the Second World War, criminals were sponsored exclusively by aggressor countries that sought political and ideological expansion.

In the early 1960s, developed countries gradually began to recognize terrorism as a source of unconditional citizens and the political system. Nowadays, the phenomenon is strongly condemned in the media. The acquittal and glorification of terrorists are severely punished in some countries, up to and including imprisonment. Now the center of terrorism has shifted from the countries of Western Europe to the Arab countries. The inhabitants of these states have yet to go through an evolutionary stage from the recognition and support of criminal acts to condemnation.

International terrorism

To justify the problems of terrorism in the modern world, one should know that criminals often resort to massacres because to achieve their delusional goals in open battle they won't succeed. Violent actions against the civilian population have long crossed the national boundaries, turning into a global threat to all the peoples of the globe. Terrorism has become an effective tool for intimidating society during military and political conflicts. The age-old disputes between two different worlds, which differ significantly from each other in their understanding of life, moral standards and culture, lead to significant casualties among the innocent population.

Currently, terrorism poses a serious threat to Russia's national security.

Terrorism is the most dangerous crime against humanity, an extreme form of violence and cruelty against a person or organizations, as well as the destruction of property and other material values, actions that create a danger of death of people or causing significant property damage.

Terrorism is one of the universal human problems and is the most widespread, fantastically cruel, hard-to-predict social emergency.

The consequences of terrorist acts lead to massive human casualties, the destruction of spiritual and material values. Terror attacks sow enmity, distrust, fear, panic, provoke conflicts and wars.

Terrorists make explosions, set fires, carry out mass poisonings, take hostages, and kill people.

Attention!

Terrorists carry out their ruthless actions without warning! Innocent people most often become victims of terror.

Terrorists use latest designs weapons. The possibility of terrorists using weapons remains real mass destruction.

Terrorism in our country is a complex socio-political phenomenon, it has absorbed the most characteristic contradictions of our society.

The Russian Federation is going through a difficult period in the history of its development, characterized by profound transformations in the political, economic and social spheres.

The pronounced polarization of society in terms of material well-being is accompanied by an increase in violent attacks; concepts of order and justice are perverted, moral foundations are crumbling, violence becomes a "legitimate" means of achieving political and economic goals.

Everyone should know this

Modern terrorist activity in Russia is characterized by a number of features, which include:

• careful preparation and high level of conspiracy of terrorist organizations:
• a sufficiently high level of armament and technical equipment of terrorists;
• selection of highly maneuverable and protected from law enforcement forces means of delivery to the object of the terrorist attack and the rapid redeployment of executors from this area;
• flexibility and eccentricity of tactics of terrorists' actions throughout the course of the commission of a criminal act;
• conducting surveillance and counter-surveillance;
• the presence in terrorist groups and armed formations of previously convicted persons who have authority in the criminal environment, and persons familiar with the techniques and methods of operational-search activity (former employees of law enforcement agencies).

It should be noted that in terms of the number of violent actions using firearms, various kinds of explosive and incendiary devices, hostage-taking, Vehicle and weapons, attempts at blackmail and threats to use weapons of mass destruction, Russia may exceed the level of such crimes currently recorded worldwide.

On September 1-3, 2004, terrorists held hostages in the sports hall of School No. 1 in Beslan (North Ossetia). During their release, members of the special forces died.

It should be noted that since the middle of the XIX century. and to this day, terrorism has moved from individual, rare, episodic cases into the category of massive, constant, real threats. The modern world is filled with a huge variety of terrorist groups, sects, fans, lone terrorists. Terrorist acts are most often organized, coordinated, carried out within the framework of the global terrorist system, which includes well-known terrorist organizations: Al-Qaeda, the Khmer Rouge, the Irish Republican Army, the Islamic Resistance Movement - Hamas, the Liberation Tigers Tamil Elama”, “Aum Shinrikyo”, “Red Brigades”, etc. International terrorism has formed, and terrorist acts have an international scale.

At present, international terrorism has unleashed an open campaign against Russia in order to destabilize the existing political and economic situation in the country and damage the national security of Russia. International terrorism as a social phenomenon is a set of crimes that characterizes a hard-to-predict social emergency.

Remember!

Terrorism is aimed primarily at expanding the influence of certain forces in society and in the world community, at their seizure and establishment of political power.

Terrorism today is diverse and multinational. It covered most of the countries in the world. Therefore, the actions of terrorists are increasingly in the center of attention of the world community, and international counteraction is being formed against international terrorism.

Questions

1. What is terrorism as a social phenomenon?
2. What are the main features of terrorist activity characteristic of terrorism in Russia?
3. What threat do terrorist acts pose to Russia's national security?
4. What are the most notorious international terrorist organizations?
5. What is the main goal of terrorist organizations?

Exercise

Name and describe the most ruthless terrorist acts that were committed in Russia in the period 2003-2009.

The aggravation of global problems at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries has become hallmark present stage of development of the world community. They have become realities that largely determine today's features. international relations and the main directions of world politics.

Participation in international cooperation to overcome global problems should be viewed as a specific form of continuation of the domestic policy of the state beyond its borders into the global geopolitical space.

The goals and results of such participation testify to the political orientation of the state, the level of its social and cultural, scientific and technological development.

Nowadays we are talking not only about the ability of individual states, but of the entire world community to find adequate responses to global challenges to its future. In this regard, it seems especially important to determine the significance of both universal problems in general and individual global problems for the prospects for the development of the world community.

In political global studies, a group of universal problems associated with the sphere of international relations is traditionally distinguished. Since the emergence of globalist studies, this group has been referred to as the central one - the problem of maintaining peace or, as it is also broadly referred to, the military-political global problem. This group also includes the problem of economic backwardness of many developing countries, the problem of nationalism and ethno-political conflicts, the problem of global controllability of the international community, etc.

Recently, the problem of international terrorism has become one of the most acute global problems of our time related to the sphere of international relations. This transformation is due, in our opinion, to the following reasons:

First, international terrorism, unfortunately, is becoming more and more widespread on a planetary scale. It manifests itself both in the regions of traditional international conflicts(for example, the Middle East, South Asia), and the most developed and prosperous states (in particular, the USA and Western Europe) were not immune from this dangerous phenomenon.

Secondly, international terrorism poses a serious threat to the security of individual states and the entire world community as a whole. Every year hundreds of acts of international terrorism are committed in the world, and the mournful account of their victims is thousands of killed and maimed people;

Thirdly, the efforts of one great power or even a group of highly developed states are not enough to fight international terrorism. Overcoming international terrorism as a growing global problem requires the collective efforts of the majority of states and peoples on our planet, of the entire world community.

Fourthly, the connection of the modern phenomenon of international terrorism with other topical global problems of our time is becoming more and more obvious and evident. At present, the problem of international terrorism should be considered as an important element of the whole complex of universal, global problems.

The problem of international terrorism has many common features characteristic of other universal human difficulties, such as the planetary scale of manifestation; great sharpness; negative momentum when negative impact on the vital activity of mankind increases; the need for an urgent solution, etc. At the same time, the global problem of international terrorism also has its own specific features. Let's consider in more detail the most important of them.

First of all, one should pay attention to the fact that the problem of international terrorism is connected with the main spheres of life of the world community and the societies of individual countries: politics, national relations, religion, ecology, criminal communities etc. This connection is reflected in the existence of various types of terrorism, which include: political, nationalist, religious, criminal and environmental terrorism.

Members of groups carrying out political terror set themselves the task of achieving political, social or economic changes within a particular state, as well as undermining interstate relations, international legal order. Nationalist (or as it is also called national, ethnic or separatist) terrorism pursues the goal of resolving the national issue, which has recently become more and more separatist aspirations in various multi-ethnic states.

The religious type of terrorism is due to the attempts of armed groups professing a particular religion to fight against a state dominated by a different religion or other religious trend. Criminal terrorism is formed on the basis of some kind of criminal business (drug business, illegal arms trafficking, smuggling, etc.) with the aim of creating chaos and tension in the conditions of which it is most likely to receive super profits. Ecological terrorism is implemented by groups that use violent methods in general against scientific and technological progress, pollution environment, killing animals and building nuclear facilities.

Another distinctive feature of the global problem of international terrorism is the significant influence of international criminal communities, certain political forces and some states on it. This influence undoubtedly leads to an aggravation of the problem under consideration.

In the modern world, there are manifestations of state terrorism associated with attempts to eliminate heads of foreign states and other political figures; with actions aimed at overthrowing the governments of foreign countries; creating panic among the population of foreign countries, etc.

International terrorism is now an integral part of the proliferation of transnational criminal organizations supported by corrupt government officials and politicians. Thus, in the widely known work of British scientists “Global Transformations” it is noted: “There are also negative forms international organizations such as terrorist and criminal organizations. Despite centuries of conflict between smugglers and the authorities, in last years The growth of transnational criminal organizations is associated with the drug trade (now, according to experts, its annual turnover is over 300 billion dollars) and the wide spread of organized crime. Solving these problems has become one of the most important challenges for governments and police forces around the world.”

Another specific feature of the global problem of international terrorism is its difficult predictability. In many cases, the subjects of terrorism are mentally unbalanced people, overly ambitious politicians. Terrorism is often seen as a way to achieve goals on the world stage and in international relations that cannot be achieved by any other means. In modern conditions, the forms of terrorist activity are becoming more and more complex, and are increasingly in conflict with universal human values ​​and the logic of world development.

Thus, the problem of international terrorism poses a real planetary threat to the world community. This problem has its own specificity, which distinguishes it from other universal human difficulties. However, the problem of terrorism is closely interconnected with most of the global problems of modern international relations. It can be considered as one of the most urgent global problems of our time.

However, recent terrorist attacks, primarily the tragic events of September 11, 2001 in New York, have become unprecedented in the history of mankind in terms of their scale and influence on the further course of world politics. The number of victims, the size and nature of the destruction caused by terrorist attacks at the beginning of the 21st century turned out to be comparable with the consequences of armed conflicts and local wars. The retaliatory measures caused by these terrorist actions led to the creation of an international anti-terrorist coalition, which included dozens of states, which previously took place only in the case of major armed conflicts and wars. Reciprocal anti-terrorist military actions also acquired a planetary scale.

Under these conditions, the global problem of international terrorism, in our opinion, cannot be considered only as an independent phenomenon. She began to turn into an important constituent part a more general military-political global problem related to the fundamental issues of war and peace, on the solution of which the further existence of human civilization depends.

International terrorism is a relatively new threat to human development that emerged in the 1960s. Meanwhile, the destruction of political opponents is a phenomenon as old as politics in general. But can, say, Brutus be considered a terrorist? Hardly, since such actions were one-time, aimed at eliminating specific figures. Terrorism in the proper sense of the word performs a "symbolic" function - "intimidation" (as it is written in the dictionary of V.I.Dal), which is achieved as a result of systematic actions, as well as resonance in society. If you do not go completely into the distant past (the Sicarii in Palestine, the Ismaili Assassins in the Arab Middle Ages, the European Inquisition, etc.), then the origin of modern terrorism can be traced back to the days of Narodnaya Volya in Russia 120 . A hundred years later, terrorism turns into a phenomenon of international proportions, acquiring the features of a global problem of human society, the so-called "plague of the 20th century", and now of the 21st century 121 .

Despite the huge amount of both foreign and domestic scientific literature devoted to the study of terrorism (including in its international form), 122 the analysis of this phenomenon presents considerable difficulties. In the origin of terrorism there is something ominously mysterious, as if irrational, not fully understood (G. Mirsky). They also talk about the gloomy charm of terrorism and the difficulty of its interpretation (W. Lacker). Wars, including civil ones, are largely predictable in nature, they take place, as they say, in broad daylight, the warring parties do not think to shroud themselves and their actions in a halo of secrecy. The main signs of terrorism are the secrecy of actions and the denial of any norms. The prospects for getting rid of terrorism are also unclear. The massive entry into the world arena of so-called transnational actors, the weakening of state sovereign control in the field of national security and the activity of international terrorism associated with this are phenomena of the same order associated with the globalization of international life, which allows us to raise the question of whether the “plague of the XX-XXI centuries » an incurable disease of mankind for the foreseeable future.

The concept, types and history of terrorism

There are many definitions of terrorism, and a single universally recognized one has not yet been developed. Attempts to define terrorism within the framework of the UN were unsuccessful, which is not surprising, since for some terrorism is a crime, for others it is a struggle for a “just cause”. Here is one definition given by the US State Department: terrorism is “premeditated, politically motivated violence used against non-combatants by subnational groups or clandestine government agents” 123 . This is one of the most complete yet concise and least vulnerable definitions. In general terms, it coincides with the opinion of prominent Western experts. Thus, W. Laker writes that "terrorism is the use of non-state violence or the threat of violence in order to cause panic in society, weaken the position or even overthrow officials and cause political changes in society." B. Crozier, director of the London Institute for the Study of Conflicts, is brief in English: "Terrorism is motivated violence with political goals." Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan offered his definition: “Any act is terrorist if it involves the death or serious injury of civilians and persons not participating in hostilities with the aim of intimidating the population or forcing any government or international organization to commit action or refusal to act" 124 .

Let us single out those general signs of terrorism that contain these and other definitions, noting in advance that all of them are to some extent ambiguous and contradictory, just like the phenomenon of terrorism itself. First, the most important feature of terrorism is its political motivation, which allows you to immediately cut off mafia "showdowns", gangster wars, even if they do not differ in the nature of the methods of struggle used in them from political actions and for this reason can be classified as terrorism. However, there is a fundamental difference between these types of violence in terms of goals, which implies different approaches to combating them: terrorism is always associated with a struggle for power, while its subjects tend to advertise their goals, which is not at all characteristic of mafia structures, for the most part motivated by financial interests that intersect with corrupt segments of government and, for this reason, tend to be “in the shadows” (although, of course, a combination of political and financial interests of criminal groups is also possible).

Secondly, the direct victims of terrorists are, as a rule, not military personnel or government officials, but members of the civilian population, far from politics ordinary people . However, this is also not always the case. Suffice it to refer to the assassination of Italian Prime Minister A. Moro by the "Red Brigades" in 1978. or Israeli Prime Minister I. Rabin by Jewish terrorists in 1995. Terror was also widely used against military personnel in Chechnya. The assassination attempt on General M. Romanov received a wide response. And yet, it is typical for modern terrorism to strike precisely at the so-called non-combatants (non-combatanttargets), that is, the civilian population.

Here we should make a small historical digression regarding the change in the twentieth century of the general (not related to the problem of terrorism) attitude towards the issue of “civilian” and military participants in conflicts, about the difference between armed and civilian objects and persons. In this sense, mankind, unfortunately, has returned to the times of barbarism, when the conquerors did not recognize the difference between armed enemies and civilians at all. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the belligerents tried as far as possible not to cross the established line between combatants and civilians, but this did not last long. The return to the refusal to recognize this line is associated primarily with the spread of small wars, that is, conflicts not between states, but within states, wars of “low intensity” such as guerrilla warfare, urban guerrillas, etc. For a small war, a conscious desire is typical to strike at the most vulnerable, sensitive sides of the enemy, namely at non-combatants. Accordingly, the behavior of terrorists has also changed: in Russia at the beginning of the last century, there are cases when SR militants refused to carry out an assassination attempt if they saw that members of his family were near the intended object. In the future, the terrorists were characterized by a completely opposite logic: if, for example, they demand the release of their arrested comrades, they should take not soldiers, but children and women as hostages, then it will be psychologically more difficult for the government to refuse to satisfy their demands, dooming innocent victims to death 125 .

Thirdly, a feature of terrorist activity is its demonstration, intimidating effect. One can argue with those who attribute irrationality and spontaneity to terrorism. Terrorism is a frighteningly calculated attempt to use violence to achieve a specific goal. The main target of terrorists is not the direct victims of their actions, not those specific people whom they condemn to death, but those who, with bated breath, are watching the unfolding drama on TV screens. According to R. Falk, “a terrorist usually tries to use violence in a symbolic sense in order to reach an audience of millions. At 800 million people, the number of spectators of the Munich Olympics in 1972 was estimated, when 12 Israeli athletes were killed. Violence was directed at all who watched, as well as those who died. It was intended to be used as a form of blackmail – pay attention to us or…” 126 . And the attention of tens of millions of people, who had a very vague idea about Palestine, was indeed drawn to the Palestinian problem - in this sense, the terrorists achieved their goal. The same can be said about dozens of other terrorist attacks. Suffice it to recall the television appearance of the relatives of the hostages in the Moscow theater center on Dubrovka in October 2002, when, with tears in their eyes, they asked the Russian leadership to agree to the terrorists' demands and withdraw federal troops from Chechnya. It was hard not to sympathize with these people. Of course, terrorist organizations existed long before the advent of television. But even then they sought to act in such a way as to intimidate the public and thereby draw the attention of the official authorities to their goals.

Finally, the fourth feature of terrorism can be called its organized or group character. This is one of the most controversial characteristics of terrorism, although it is noted by many experts. Indeed, if this criterion is followed, a lone killer who is not part of a terrorist organization does not qualify as a terrorist. A Hamas militant who carried out an explosion in a disco or cafe can rightfully be called a terrorist, while a simple Palestinian who is not a member of any organization, but under the influence of indignation caused by the actions of the Israeli authorities, who decided to take up arms and open fire on street by the Jews, does not fit this definition. No matter how controversial it may seem at first glance, but this is most likely the case. The fact is that terror is a long-term, well-planned, financially secure activity that only organized groups can do, and not lone killers who act emotionally and spontaneously. In this sense, Oswald, who killed Kennedy, cannot be called a terrorist, since his affiliation with any organization has not been proven (even if his crime was initiated and planned by someone). On the contrary, the murderers of Alexander II, Plehve, other representatives of the ruling circles of Russia, as well as Gavril Princip, who killed Archduke Ferdinand, were terrorists; The Tamil woman who blew herself up with Rajiv Gandhi could also be classified in the same category. In all these cases, it was proved that the killers were part of organizations that pursued political goals. This division into homicidal maniacs and representatives of criminal organizations has great importance in the fight against terrorism 127 .

As regards the definition of terrorism, and regarding its classification, there is no consensus. Dozens of typologies have been developed. There is a distinction between terror "from above" and "from below", left, right, separatist, revolutionary, etc. In order to understand the diverse manifestations of the phenomenon under consideration, we will introduce the following criteria: the goals and nature of the participants in terrorist activities 128 .

Ethnic (nationalist) terrorism characterized by the action of ethnic or ethno-religious subnational organizations that seek to achieve independence from any state, that is, they pursue separatist goals. A classic example is the ethnic terror in Northern Ireland, where the Catholic Irish Republican Army (IRA) fought for almost a century against the Protestant community and the British authorities for the independence and reunification of Ireland. In the modern world, ethnic terrorism is represented by many examples. In Europe, these are the Basque organization ETA in Spain, the National Liberation Front of Corsica (FNC) in France. These organizations are much more active and numerous in developing countries. These include Palestinian terrorist organizations (for example, Fatah), Indian extremist organizations (Tigers for the Liberation of Tamil Elam, Sikh and Kashmiri militants), the PKK in Turkey, and so on. Terrorism in the North Caucasus in Russia also has ethnic overtones. At the same time, it should be emphasized that we are talking specifically about militant extremist organizations, which have nothing in common with representatives of ethnic groups that solve their problems in a non-violent way or abandon terrorist methods (for example, Francophones in Canadian Quebec, Walloons and Flemings in Belgium).

The second type of terrorism is class, or rather socially directed terrorism, the purpose of which is the social reorganization of society or certain aspects of its life, and the participants are non-state actors. The best known is left-wing terrorism, which was quite widespread during the Cold War in Latin America and Europe. In the 1960s in Latin America, under the banner of the "urban guerilla", numerous left-wing (in the USSR they preferred to call them leftist) terrorist groups launched their activities. The first to appear among them were the Uruguayan "Tupamaros", the Venezuelan "Left Revolutionary Movement" and the "Armed Forces of National Liberation". Several well-known left-wing groups were active in Peru. Among them are Sendero Luminoso, the official name of which is the Communist Party of Peru, an organization of the Maoist persuasion, as well as the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement, whose ideology was a vinaigrette of Marxism-Leninism and Che Guevara's theory of "exporting revolution." An important role in the activation of these groups was played by the "Cuban factor": the example of the Cuban revolution, together with the persistent attempts of the Cuban secret services to export it to the countries of the American continent, lying south of Mexico.

Since the early 1970s the urban guerrilla, gradually dwindling to a minimum on the periphery of the capitalist world - in Latin America, began to move to its main European centers. Youth riots that swept through the industrialized countries in 1968 played a significant role in the formation of left-wing terrorist groups in Europe. Almost all prominent representatives of European terrorism were formed in their bowels, for whom protest actions became a transition from legal to illegal activities. The most famous among these groups are the "Red Army Faction" (RAF), which proclaimed the goal of fighting the "criminal fascist regime" of the FRG and promoting the proletarian communist revolution there, and the Italian "Red Brigades". By the way, special role in the creation of the last organization, the sociological faculty of the University of Trento, which was under the influence of the "new" left, played. At this faculty in the late 1960s. studied some leaders of the "Red Brigades", the preferred set of authors of books which was specific: Karl Marx, Karl Clausewitz, Herbert Marcuse, Mao Zedong. The Brigadiers were guided by the idea that there was a revolutionary situation in Italy and the possibility of a proletarian revolution in that country. Other well-known left-wing terrorist organizations in developed countries include Direct Action in France, as well as the Japanese Red Army. Like other leftists, these groups proclaimed their goal to provoke the masses to fight for socialism, interpreted in the Stalinist and Maoist spirit. An important role in the very possibility of the functioning of leftist radicals in developed countries was played by the multilateral support of the socialist countries, primarily the USSR, as well as the GDR, from where the terrorists received material assistance, where many of them studied and underwent combat training.

Unlike the left, right-wing terrorism does not appeal to class contradictions, but proclaims the goal to be the fight against democratic values ​​and mechanisms of modern societies. Right-wing terror is imbued with the spirit of chauvinism, racism or nationalism, often based on the cult of a strong personality and the belief in superiority over the rest of the masses, and affirms the totalitarian principles of the organization of society. Neo-Nazism is a characteristic feature of the far right. In the late 1960s in many countries of Western Europe and America, the ultra-right launched their terrorist activities. The main centers of far-right terrorism were based in Italy (Aryan Brotherhood, Benito Mussolini Detachments, etc.), Spain (Spanish Anti-Communist Front, Catholic People's Army, etc.) and Germany (Hoffmann Military Sports Group " and etc.). However, the most famous (although by no means the most powerful and dangerous) right-wing radical racist group is the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in the United States. It was created back in 1865 after the Civil War of the North and South, recreated in the early 1920s. and is still in effect. The ideology of the KKK is characterized as racist and radically fundamentalist Protestant.

The third type of terrorism is state terrorism. It differs from the previous types, first of all, by the subjects of activity. These can be, firstly, states that use methods of total suppression of civil society and mass repressions. Examples are Stalin's, Hitler's, Pol Pot's (in Cambodia) regimes. Secondly, methods similar to terrorist ones are present in the activities of the special services of many countries of the world - the Israeli Mossad, the American CIA, the Russian FSB and others and are used in response to the extremism of radical groups. So, after the death of Israeli athletes at the Olympics in Munich in 1972 at the hands of the Palestinian terrorist group Black September, Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir imposed a resolution: "Destroy everyone." The Israelis decided to "repay terror with terror" - that is, to destroy terrorists if it is not possible to bring them to justice. As subsequent events showed, this turned out to be the most effective way to fight terrorists: by 1980, all of the “sentenced” list, as well as most of the Black September activists, were liquidated, and the organization itself ceased to exist. A similar decision was made by President Putin regarding the death of Russian diplomats in Iraq in 2006 at the hands of terrorists. Thirdly, the activities of countries that provide all kinds of support to international terrorist groups can be attributed to state terrorism. Iran and Syria are currently accused of such activities.

Of course, state terrorism has its own specifics and with good reason can be considered as an independent phenomenon. At the same time, it has common "generic" features of terrorism, perhaps with the exception of the "demonstration effect": both the special services and the states involved in terror are not inclined to advertise their activities.

Finally, the fourth variety of terrorism is religious character. Its participants are non-state extremist groups whose ideology is one or another religious teaching, as a rule, in a fundamentalist interpretation. Now the terrorist attacks carried out by the Japanese sect Aum Shinrikyo in Moscow and Tokyo are almost forgotten, and this was almost the first religious terrorist group that Russia encountered. But, of course, mainly here we need to talk about Islamic terrorism, represented by the criminal activities of numerous groups in the Islamic world - the Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, Hamas, Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, ethno-Islamic groups in the North Caucasus and others. It is this branch of modern terrorism that represents greatest danger for the modern world. More details about Islamic terrorism will be discussed below.

Summing up the analysis of the varieties of terrorism, it is worth referring to the remarkable opinion of W. Lacker about their paradoxical similarity. Those who engage in terrorism, the scientist writes, have a certain ideological community. They may be on the left or the right of the political spectrum, they may be nationalists or, more rarely, internationalists, but in the main points their mentality is strikingly similar. Often they are much closer to each other than they themselves suspect. Just as the technology of terrorism can be successfully mastered by people of various persuasions, its philosophy also easily overcomes the barriers that exist between separate political doctrines. It is universal and unprincipled 129 .

In different historical periods, prevailed different types terrorism 130 . Starting from the second half of the XIX century. left-wing terrorism, well known from the history of pre-revolutionary Russia, prevailed (although there was also right-wing terrorism, for example, the Ku Klux Klan in the USA). At the same time, radical nationalist groups acted - Armenians, Irish, Macedonians, Serbs, who used terrorist methods in the struggle for national autonomy and independence. For the first half of the twentieth century. was most characteristic of state terrorism, terrorism "from above" (Stalin era, fascism). After the Second World War, left-wing terrorism again dominated for some time - both in developed countries (the Red Army Faction in Germany, the Red Brigades in Italy, the Direct Action group in France, etc.), and in developing world, especially in Latin America (“Tupamaros”, “Sendero Luminoso”, etc.) with the urban guerrilla methods characteristic of the latter. But gradually, left-wing terrorism is fading away. Apparently, the last nail in his coffin was the collapse of socialism and the socialist system.

Currently, we can talk about three prevailing types of terrorism - ethnic, legal and Islamic. It is no accident that terrorist organizations of the ethnic (nationalist) type are among the most durable. Some of them have existed for over 100 years, others for decades. Nationalism has become one of the main forces of change in the world community in the post-bipolar world. Therefore, we can confidently assume that ethno-nationalist terrorism will not only not disappear in the foreseeable future, but will become even more widespread.

Today's far right uses terrorist actions for the same purpose as in the past - to seize power. But now there are no mass fascist (and similar) parties anywhere. Leftist groups can only be accomplices of some other forces that occupy more powerful positions in the political world, but at the same time are close to them in spirit, ideas and aspirations. A particularly dangerous trend has been the strengthening of right-wing radical sentiments in the CIS countries, where the difficulties of the post-socialist period give rise to a craving for a “strong hand”, according to some, capable of “putting things in order”, give rise to chauvinistic moods.

The most dangerous trend in the modern world is Islamic terrorism. That is what they mean first of all when they talk about internationalohm terrorism. By definition, international (or, as it is sometimes called, transnational) terrorism involves the use of territory or the involvement of citizens in the terrorist activities of more than one country 131 . It is possible to define the specifics of international terrorism in another way: as a rule, these are terrorist acts undertaken by citizens of one country against citizens of another country and carried out on the territory of third countries. Both of the above definitions do not cover all cases of manifestation of international terrorism, but allow us to capture its specifics. In accordance with popular belief, the already mentioned terrorist attack, which led to the death of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972, is considered the symbolic date of the birth of international terrorism.

Islamic terrorism

Describing Islamic terrorism, the main source of distribution of which are Islamic social and religious organizations Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Gaza Strip, it is appropriate to use the definition of "most" and "most". Indeed, in the last 30 years, these terrorists are the most fanatical and the most active. They took the most hostages, killed the most people, detonated the most bombs. More than any other terrorists, they manage to influence international politics.

Causes of Islamic terrorism evaluated in the domestic literature is extremely ambiguous. Let's try to sum them up. According to A.A. Konovalov, firstly, this is the socio-economic situation in the Muslim world. The proceeds from the sale of oil allowed the ruling elites of the Arab and other oil Muslim countries concentrate huge financial resources. However, this did not lead to the emergence of full-fledged modern economies in them. According to IMEMO RAS experts, the gross domestic product of all 22 Arab countries is inferior to the GDP of Spain alone. During the last 20 years of the twentieth century. growth in per capita income Arab countries ax was 0.5% per year, which is lower than anywhere except sub-Saharan Africa. One in five Arabs live on less than $2 a day. Approximately 12 million people (15% of the working-age population) are unemployed, and by 2010 this figure could rise to 25 million. Among scientists in the world, only 1% are Muslims; there are more scholars in Israel alone than in the entire Muslim world 132 . More broadly, it is about the problem of poverty and the huge disparity in living standards between developed and developing countries, exacerbated by the current model of globalization. Secondly, notes A.A. Konovalov, there is a socio-demographic factor. At the beginning of the twentieth century. There were approximately 150-170 million Muslims in the world, by the end of the century there were already 1.3 billion of them - every fifth inhabitant of the planet. More than half of Muslims are under the age of twenty, that is, young people are the largest part of Muslim society. We are talking about a huge energy potential, looking for a way out and application. It cannot be found in the socio-economic sphere. It only remains for the ideologists of terror to set the necessary ideological direction for the energy of Muslim youth 133 .

GI Mirsky focuses on the spiritual reason. The psychological basis of Islamic terrorism is an inferiority complex, inferiority, which, in his opinion, is generated not so much by the economic gap between the “poor South” and the “rich North”, but by the awareness that has not yet been overcome, coming from the colonial era, of the injustice of the entire world order, within which the earth is dominated, set the tone by the imperialists, who are still disdainful of the "natives", the people of the Third World with their other civilization. Especially vulnerable in this regard are Muslims, who are proud of their ancient and rich civilization and at the same time see that in the hierarchical structure of the modern world their countries are at the lowest level compared to the West. Convinced of the superiority of their own culture, they are desperate for others to rule the world. Strength, power, influence in today's world is not with them, but with the West. This is the third reason for Islamic terrorism, which makes it possible to get closer to understanding why extremism in the modern world most often comes from among adherents of Islam, and not from some other religion 134 .

Fourth, it is necessary to bear in mind the US policy in the Muslim world. On this issue, the opinions of Russian experts differ. As E.M. Primakov writes, referring to the US actions in Afghanistan and Iraq in the first years of the 21st century, “the understanding prevailed that without the United States it is practically impossible to successfully counteract international terrorism…” 135 . At the same time, there is another point of view, which is now much more widespread: the use of force against international terrorism, announced by the United States, does not bring the desired results. It is capable of suppressing individual manifestations or cells of terrorism, but not eliminating its causes. Moreover, the use of force in US policy in the Middle East stimulates retaliatory terrorist actions. Causes irritation in the Muslim world and American support for Israel, as well as a number of Arab regimes (Egypt and Saudi Arabia).

However, it is not only the Americans who are “to blame”. Among the events of the world politics of the last fifty years, which caused an unprecedented rise in anti-Western sentiments and mass sympathy for those who took up arms, literally the entire Islamic world, G. Mirsky names: the formation of Israel by the decision of the UN; Soviet intervention in Afghanistan; mediocre and counterproductive aggression of Saddam Hussein against Kuwait, which led to the deployment of American troops in Saudi Arabia - the sacred land for all "true believers" 136

The reason (fifth) explaining why Islamic terrorism has become a global problem in recent decades is the nature of the current stage of globalization, marked by the aggressive pressure of Western, primarily American, values ​​and norms. McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Hollywood have become symbols of globalization. Western capital is spreading around the world the principles of relations and traditions unusual for the Muslim world, causing a natural reaction of rejection and the desire to return to the "roots", to the national spiritual foundations, which can take extreme forms. Apparently, Buddhist norms of social relations are not as incompatible with Western tradition as Muslim ones. Protestantism and Buddhism have much in common, and it is no coincidence that the successfully developing countries of Asia (the so-called "new industrial countries", China, where Buddhist traditions are strong) find mutual understanding with Western "globalizers". The situation in Muslim countries is a breeding ground for extremists who build their calls precisely on the accusation of the global West in an effort to subjugate the global South to their influence.

It is very difficult the problem of the ideological basis of Islamicterrorism.We should dwell on its two aspects: to what extent Islam serves as an ideological justification for terrorism and whether it is possible to identify Islamic fundamentalism with extremism. As for Islam, there is a widespread opinion about the special belligerence, almost bloodthirstiness of Islam, which requires its followers to fight ruthlessly against the "infidels", that is, the non-believers. It is a myth. In Islam, as in any great religion, there are a combination of different, not always seemingly compatible values, there is a lot of contradictory 137 . In the Qur'an, if you wish, you can find statements that can be interpreted as militant. For example, now there is a lot of talk about jihad, interpreting this term as a "holy war against the infidels", which allegedly gives Muslims the right and even obliges them to fight against the non-Muslim world by all means, up to terror. This is a one-sided and misinterpretation. The well-known Islamic scholar John Esposito writes that “the term “jihad” has many meanings, including a call to lead a righteous life, to make society more moral and just, to spread Islam by preaching, teaching, or through armed struggle ... In the most general sense, “jihad” means the struggle against evil and the devil, self-discipline (common to all three Abrahamic religions), by which believers strive to follow the will of God, to be better Muslims” 138 .

Therefore, it is wrong to blame Islam for the crimes allegedly committed in the name of this religion. Some experts even believe that the very term "Islamic terrorism" is incorrect. It would be more correct to speak of "Islamic terrorism" and "Islamists". When people say that Islam breeds terrorism (although it would be more correct to say that international extremism appeals to the slogans of Islam), the stigma of terrorism falls on the entire Muslim world. A parallel with German fascism is appropriate here: Hitler played for the Germans the same role that terrorism plays for Muslims in our time. Those who nevertheless accuse the Koran of its inherent militancy can be reminded of the crusades consecrated by the Catholic Church. Being the youngest of the great religions, Islam at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries is going through the same stage in development as Christianity in the 13th century.

Also, Islamic fundamentalism is often considered as the ideological basis of terrorism, while greatly simplifying the essence of the matter. For the first time, Islamic fundamentalism was discussed after the "Islamic revolution" in Iran in 1979 as something a priori negative. Meanwhile, fundamentalism is just as legitimate a socio-cultural, religious, and political phenomenon as modernization and reform have always been opposed to it. The fundamentalist alternative is immanently inherent in culture, social thought, and finally, human consciousness in all periods of human time. An important source of fundamentalism is the absolutization and sacralization of cultural and political traditions and certain historical periods. The myth of the "golden age" is an indispensable component of fundamentalism. In Islamic fundamentalism, these are early Muslim communities from the time of the prophetic mission of Muhammad. Islamic fundamentalists preach the need to return to the origins of faith, to the original purity of religion, clouded by later stratifications, traditions and interpretations accumulated over centuries, especially associated with the spread of the Western, primarily American way of life and culture. The latter are often considered by the ideologists of Islamic fundamentalism as one of the important causes of the troubles and problems of Muslim societies. However, fundamentalism is not at all equivalent to extremism and terrorism. Terrorism may logically follow from fundamentalism, but this is far from always the case. “The type of fundamentalist is more of an intellectual, scientist, philosopher, experiencing bitterness and frustration; the next step is an activist, militant, militant; and the latter is a terrorist” (G. Mirsky) 139 .

The goals set and proclaimed by terrorists are directly related to the causes and ideological foundations of Islamism. We are talking about sentiments, firstly, anti-Western, secondly, anti-American, thirdly, anti-Israeli, and fourthly, militant fundamentalist.

Anti-Western sentiments are a direct consequence and preservation in a new form of the spirit of anti-colonialism that gripped the peoples of Asia and Africa both after the First and especially after the Second World War. It would be wrong to think that anti-colonialism disappeared after the withdrawal of foreign troops and the achievement of national independence. It has gone into the past only on a practical level, but has remained in the ideology, psyche, mentality of both the inhabitants of the Third World and those people from developing countries who live in the West. There are many examples of this in everyday practice and they are quite painfully perceived by both sides. Therefore, residents are under attack by terrorists. Western countries wherever they are - at home, in resorts, on airplanes. Terrorist attacks were different time UK, France, Spain.

But, of course, of all Western countries, the main enemy of the Islamists is the United States. Anti-Americanism is a phenomenon that is most likely unremovable in the foreseeable future. In a sense, this is the price that America has to pay for its wealth, its role as the sole superpower, for its material and spiritual expansion on a global scale - but also for its far from flawless behavior in the world, for the fact that in the American political the lexicon is called "the arrogance of power" (thearrogance of power). Anti-Americanism is common on all continents, but for Muslim fundamentalists, radicals and extremists, America is the living embodiment of all the evil they see in the West. This is West squared. It's in literally the words "tool of the devil" ("great Satan", as Imam Khomeini used to say). To defeat America is to win a decisive victory in the struggle for the cause of Allah. This is the first and main purpose of the September 11, 2001 terrorist action in New York and Washington: to strike at the very heart of America, to make Americans tremble with fear for their lives and to demonstrate to them their own insignificance.

The third circle of goals and sentiments is anti-Israeli. In the narrow sense of the word, we are talking about the tragedy of the Palestinian Arabs, who are deprived of their statehood and daily suffer humiliation from the Israeli authorities, asking for permission to travel from one point to another on their own land. They do not care that the Jews lived in the territory of present-day Palestine long before the arrival of the Arabs, and if the governments of the Arab countries had recognized the division of Palestine into two states in accordance with a UN resolution half a century ago, they would not have experienced such disasters. The pride and dignity of the Arabs, and not only the Palestinians, are deeply wounded by what the Arab world calls the Catastrophe, that is, the formation of Israel. Hence the ongoing half-century terrorist (and not only) struggle against Israel and the corresponding response from the Israeli side.

In a broader sense, anti-Israel sentiments are connected with Jerusalem, and here we are talking not only about the Arabs, but about the Muslim world as a whole. After all, Jerusalem is the third holiest city on earth after Mecca and Medina. Allowing people of a different race and religion to own it is an indelible shame, a direct insult to Islam in general.

The fight against Israel one way or another closes again on the United States. If you talk to any Arab about this topic, he will say something like this: “Israel is occupying Palestine and is behaving so arrogantly only because America allows it. She is the father and mother of Israel, she provides for its well-being, arms it, protects it in the UN. If the Americans wanted to, the Israelis would be forced to give in, but the fact of the matter is that America is a mountain behind the Zionists ... ". This is the prevailing opinion in the Arab world. In order to strike at the very root of evil, one must strike at America 140 .

Finally, the goal of Islamists in any country is to create a fundamentalist regime, controlled by the clergy and guided by Sharia law. To date, fundamentalists have achieved such a result only in two countries - Iran and Sudan. The fundamentalist Taliban regime in Afghanistan was overthrown in 2002, but, apparently, now there are prerequisites for its revival, at least after the withdrawal of the American military from Afghanistan. In all other Muslim countries, fundamentalists are in opposition, and quite often they are forced to go underground (for example, in Syria, Algeria, Tunisia), but even in this case, radical Islamists are able to significantly influence the socio-political situation.

The question that is relevant for the Russians is whether Russia is among the goals of the Islamists. The regularity of the question is related to the fact that our country has much wider contacts in the Muslim world than the United States and some other Western countries (including the recognition of the legitimacy of Hamas, which is considered terrorist in the West, to be in power in the Palestinian autonomy). Russia opposed the introduction of US-British troops into Iraq, and calls for abandoning the use of force to resolve the issue of the Iranian nuclear program. And yet, Russia has long been on the "black list". Although the war in Chechnya is over, the fight against the Wahhabis, Jamaats and al-Qaeda emissaries in the North Caucasus does not stop, and Russia cannot be forgiven for this. In the early 2000s Russia, using its ties to the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan, helped the US overthrow the Taliban regime there. Because of all this, the Russians are practically the same enemies as the Americans. This is confirmed by real and planned terrorist attacks on Russian territory, the death of Russian diplomats in Iraq at the hands of terrorists in the summer of 2006.

deserve special analysis organizational principles Islamist terrorist structures, which are analyzed by E.G. Soloviev 141 . For terrorism in the second half of the twentieth century. it was typical to have an ideological center and a militant organization with and around it. At the same time, there were legal political parties associated with the center, designed to formulate and publicize the ideas of terrorists (for example, the IRA and its political sponsor, the Sinn Fein party). With extremists organized in this way, it was possible to engage in dialogue with more moderate elements in their leadership. The situation as a whole remained under control for a long time.

Islamic extremist groups are characterized by a network principle of organization. With a network type of organization, it is impossible to single out the main organizing link. The "center" in the network exists only in the ideological, ideological-political and sometimes in the financial sense. Operationally and organizationally, there is no center in the network, which means that in fact there is no “end-to-end” hierarchy. Relationships are built horizontally. The network can be managed only with the consent of the governed themselves. Each of the nodes independently and to a large extent uncontrollably adjusts its actions and settings. The members of the network are a voluntary coalition. The exit of one of them from the struggle is not capable of paralyzing the activities of the network as a whole. At the same time, the absence of hierarchical subordination is not a defect, but an integral property of the network, which gives it flexibility and stability and makes it extremely difficult to combat it.

The problem will become clearer if we compare the resources and capabilities of al-Qaeda and the United States. The very idea of ​​a possible war between these two disparate figures may seem absurd. The point, however, is that Al-Qaeda is a network structure that does not bear any obligations either to the population of the home country or to its ordinary members. Al-Qaeda is extraterritorial, not limited to any single base zone, its financial resources are dispersed over different geographical areas, and in many countries there are potential recreation, treatment, and shelter centers controlled by it. She is nowhere and everywhere at the same time. All this inevitably creates the impression of a phantom organization as a whole. (It is no coincidence that a number of authors even express doubts about the very existence of al-Qaeda, and information about the death of bin Laden, followed by a refutation, was received by the media more than once). So, when assessing the possibilities of the United States to cope with al-Qaeda, it is not the comparison of potentials that is decisive, but the principle of organization. The difficulties accompanying the fight against Islamist organizations operating in the North Caucasus are also largely related to their network nature: the destruction of some cells does not directly lead to the undermining of other criminal structures. True, for the time being one can speak of a global terrorist network in the strict sense only in relation to Al-Qaeda.

Modernity provides terrorists wide opportunitiesin the choice of weapons. Conventional terrorism continues to play the most important role. These are hostage-taking, theft of vehicles, blowing up buildings and infrastructure. Its effectiveness in the use of explosives, firearms and edged weapons is quite high, and the consequences of terrorist attacks are well predictable.

Nuclear weapons, fortunately, cannot be manufactured in artisanal conditions. The simplest nuclear bomb requires the creation of a whole production cycle. According to, for example, E.G. Solovyov, such technologies are still beyond the reach of even such powerful terrorist organizations as Al-Qaeda. At the same time, a serious problem today is the corrosion of the nuclear non-proliferation regime and the related possibility of a finished, industrially manufactured nuclear weapon falling into the hands of terrorists 142 . However, there are also more pessimistic assessments about the possibility of international terrorists using weapons of mass destruction (WMD). EP Kozhushko notes that among the sponsors of terrorism there are people whose fortunes amount to millions of dollars, for example, Osama bin Laden. They are quite capable of financing programs not only for the acquisition, but also for the production of WMD. True, so far this has only concerned chemical weapons. We are talking about the Japanese Aum Shinrikyo, which independently created and used the nerve agent sarin in Tokyo. This is not surprising, given that the Internet and many self-published books are replete with information on how to get and use toxic substances and still be safe. It is possible that the possession nuclear weapons- only a matter of time, bearing in mind the desire of various terrorist groups to use it. Access to it will provide terrorists with an unprecedented instrument of pressure on governments. This is the "trump ace" in the negotiations, with neither bomb threats, nor hostage-taking, nor any other type of terrorist activity. A terrorist group that has acquired this type of WMD will raise its influence to an unprecedented height 143 .

Cyberterrorism is also a real danger - interference in the operation of electronic control systems through hacking and the creation of computer viruses. The consequences of intrusion into electronic networks are not always predictable and therefore extremely dangerous. To carry out acts of "cybotage" ("cybernetic sabotage"), virtually no super-sophisticated equipment is required, which can make cyberterrorism one of the most common types of terrorist activity in the future.

Problems and priority goals of the struggle

with international terrorism

The global community since the 1960s was faced with the need to intensify counteraction to acts of international terrorism. Currently, there are more than a dozen international anti-terrorist conventions, in particular, on ensuring the security of civil and maritime transportation (International Conventions of 1963, 1971, 1988); on combating the taking of hostages (1979); protection of nuclear materials (1980); combating the financing of terrorism (1999); combating acts of nuclear terrorism (2007). International terrorism was condemned in 1985 at the UN General Assembly, where a corresponding resolution was adopted. The issue of combating terrorism was repeatedly raised at meetings of heads of state, including members of the G8, as well as at lower-level meetings organized by these countries (for example, in Ottawa - 1995, Paris - 1996, Moscow - 1999) 144 .

Nevertheless, there are no grounds for optimism in the fight against international terrorism. This is how AA Konovalov assesses the difficulties of this struggle. International terrorism, he writes, is that area of ​​world politics where its non-traditional participants manifest themselves most clearly, threatening the sovereignty of states and the entire established world order. Terrorist structures are not subjects of international law, since they are not officially recognized sovereign states. They are not subject to any legitimate government. It is difficult, and more often impossible, to connect them with the territory of any country. They operate globally without regard to any national boundaries. Of course, they use the territories of sovereign states, but they never ask permission from their governments. International terrorist networks are increasingly influencing the development of the world situation in the areas of security, politics and economics, but no government can conclude an agreement with these structures or exchange diplomatic missions. All peaceful methods of pressure developed by the world community for interstate relations (economic sanctions, military pressure without the use of military force) lose all meaning in relation to underground terrorist networks. Even the use of armed forces created to defeat enemy armies is ineffective as an antiterrorist means. Let us also recall the lack of unity among the political forces of the world in assessing the essence of terrorism. For this reason, the UN does not have an international "black list" of persons and organizations suspected of terrorism. And it remains a mystery how to coordinate the positions of the parties in the development and adoption of the text of the Comprehensive Convention on Combating Terrorism, which all world leaders are calling for from the rostrum of the General Assembly.

It must be admitted, GI Mirsky believes, assessing the results of the fight against international terrorism to date, that it has reached a dead end. Mankind still does not know how to resist the "plague of the 21st century", how to cope with the most terrible threat that awaits us in the coming century 146 . The validity of this statement is confirmed, in our opinion, by the adoption of the law of the Russian Federation "On Counteracting Terrorism" (2006), which stipulates the possibility of shooting dangerous liners even with passengers on board. Passengers have practically no chance of surviving during the capture. In justification of this measure, the Russian media write that there will be incomparably more victims if the terrorists direct the liner to a nuclear power plant. If the terrorists know that even with passengers they will not be able to fly to it, the very idea of ​​​​such a terrorist attack will become less attractive. It is also noted that similar laws exist in many countries of the world 147 . It seems doubtful that even such a harsh measure will stop the terrorists. Recall that for them the number of victims is not as important as the demonstration of violence against defenseless people. This is first. And, secondly, isn't it a sign of impotence to raise the question of how many victims we can agree to in order to stop the criminals?

However, since the global war on terrorism is underway, and Russia is actively participating in it, it is necessary to determine the priority goals on which the world community should focus. Each of these goals is very complex and will require the development of new norms of international law, methods of training law enforcement forces, and much more. Let us dwell on the analysis of these goals 148 .

The problem of the living space of terrorism. Although modern terrorism operates globally, it needs bases for training militants, areas for recreation, regrouping, and so on. Such enclaves can appear in sovereign states in two cases. The first is when the country's government directly or covertly supports terrorists, sharing their goals, as was the case between Al-Qaeda and the Taliban government in Afghanistan in the early 2000s. This case is relatively simple, at least in legal relation. If the government of a country deliberately "provides hospitality" to international terrorists, it bears full responsibility for the actions taken by the militants from its territory. The military actions of the United States against the Taliban regime were the realization of the legitimate right of a country or a coalition of countries to repel aggression and fully complied with the UN Charter.

The second case is more difficult and less obvious in legal terms. There are enough countries in the world whose governments are so weak that they are unable to ensure sovereignty over the entire territory of their state. Here we can talk about incomplete or "limited" sovereignty. When a part of the territory is not controlled by its own government, an enclave is immediately formed there, which is taken under the control of international criminal structures and terrorists. It must be admitted that the number of such enclaves is rapidly increasing. Suffice it to mention the south of Lebanon, part of the Philippines, the northern islands of Indonesia. There are similar enclaves in Sudan, Algeria, Nigeria, Somalia, and others. The growth of tension in Russian-Georgian relations in 2002 was caused precisely by Russia's claims to the Georgian leadership, which allows Chechen fighters to use part of the country's territory - the Pankisi Gorge - as a base and springboard to carry out terrorist attacks in Russia.

The growing number of such enclaves puts global community before the need to create norms of international law, answering the question of how to deal with governments that do not control the situation on their territory, and most importantly, how to eliminate the "nests of terrorists" formed on such "no man's" lands. The new US National Security Strategy (2002) provides for the right to a preemptive strike. In fact, Russia shares this position, which it has repeatedly stated, for example, in connection with the situation in the Pankisi Gorge. The most striking example of overcoming this situation is the war waged by Israel against Hezbollah, based in southern Lebanon. However, a legal problem arises: how to eliminate international terrorism that is spreading all over the world and at the same time not violate the sovereignty of the countries that actually give it refuge. This problem has not yet been resolved in international law, although it is clear that weak governments and the "limited sovereignty" of some states should not become an insurmountable obstacle in the fight against international terrorism.

Sources of terrorist financing. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, US authorities froze 39 bank accounts belonging to organizations and individuals on suspicion of financial support for terrorism. It turned out that only a few of these accounts were opened in the Gulf countries. It follows from this that the fight against financial sponsors of terrorists is technically more complicated than the fight against, say, terrorist bases. After all, the sponsors of terrorists live in the same countries and enjoy the fruits of the same civilization as the fighters against terrorism.

The task of cutting off financial flows for international terrorism with the aim of its bankruptcy is a serious challenge to the global financial system. “Good” and “bad” money and the channels through which they circulate are so closely connected and intertwined that without painful “shock surgery” they can be separated from each other. from a friend is very difficult. The world financial system, rightfully considered the fruit and success of the development of post-industrial civilization, in the hands of terrorists can also become a formidable weapon. We have to admit that it allowed international terrorism to secretly accumulate and transfer huge amounts of money. Terrorists are not short of funds. This situation is no longer tolerated. It is not yet entirely clear what changes in the global financial system will be required, but it is clear that they must be very large-scale.

Penetration into underground terrorist networks and their liquidation. As the events of September 11, 2001 in the USA and subsequent high-profile terrorist attacks showed, relying only on technical means (satellite reconnaissance, for example) is clearly insufficient. It is necessary to pay much more attention to undercover work, infiltration into terrorist networks and cells. As W. Laker writes, the revival of ancient terrorism is perceived as something fundamentally new, its causes and methods of combating it are discussed as if it had never been discussed before. That is, we are talking about what is worth remembering about "good old espionage." In particular, according to Russian media, it was these methods that helped prevent the terrorist attack planned in Nalchik in 2005 and aimed at strategic facilities in the south and center of Russia. It must be clearly understood that the goal of the anti-terrorist struggle is not so much a quick and effective response to terrorist attacks as their prevention.

The weakening of the connection between the Islamic masses and Islamic extremists.. The most important task of any war is to win mass support on the side of the enemy. In the case of a global anti-terrorist war, this is a struggle for the hearts and minds of the masses of the Islamic world. It will not be easy, but success in it is possible, experts say. However, such a campaign can only be effective if a number of important factors are taken into account in its implementation. The most important of them is the rejection of the fatal error of propaganda in the Islamic world of Western values, standards and principles of organization of Western society. According to American expert S. Simon, the West must achieve political rapprochement with Islam. It is necessary that the United States and its partners convince the inhabitants of Muslim countries that their prosperity is possible without the destruction of the West, and without abandoning their own traditions in the face of the crushing onslaught of Western culture. This project is designed for many years, but it is possible to lay the foundation for a reliable reconciliation if the United States and its allies provide the Islamic countries with significant economic and political advantages 149 .

In addition, it is necessary to rely on the support of representatives of the Islamic clergy respected in the Muslim world, who are able to destroy the ties between the Muslim masses and extremists and offer a positive alternative to Islamism. After all, the force of international terrorism is the evil will of a not so large number of people who use the fanatical faith and unspent energy of Islamic youth.

An important issue in the fight against Islamic terrorism is the problem of the subjects of this fight - whether they are states and their associations, international organizations, special forces or someone else. Experts believe that the best way to combat terrorist structures organized on a network principle would be to respond to a global anti-terrorist organization, not controlled by specific states, also organized according to a network principle. Obviously, Interpol does not meet these requirements, and it should be recognized that such a structure does not exist today.

As for the UN as an organization of a global scale, designed to meet the global challenges of the time, its capabilities clearly do not correspond to the tasks of the anti-terrorist struggle. However, this also applies to the potential of other interstate mechanisms, in particular, NATO, possibly the SCO. The flexibility of the network structures of global terrorism contrasts sharply with the rather rigid system of "launching" international intergovernmental organizations. They operate on the principle of complex interstate agreements for decision-making, which contradicts the need for a quick response to terrorist attacks. In addition, the activity of intergovernmental organizations in practice is determined not so much by the statutory competence, but rather by the balance of forces emerging under the influence of the international situation.

The only alternative to international terrorism today is the informal interstate antiterrorist coalition formed on the US initiative after 9/11. Russia is its participant. However, serious flaws in the activities of the coalition are obvious. First, many Muslim-majority countries—particularly Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Indonesia—are under pressure from internal forces that sympathize with terrorists. This prevents their governments from cooperating more closely with the West. Cases of terrorist attacks in such countries temporarily outrage the public, but the influence of the Islamists is so strong that local governments still hesitate to pursue a consistent anti-terrorist policy. In the foreseeable future, it is not to be expected that most Islamic countries will actively prosecute terrorists and engage in appropriate cooperation at the international level.

The second serious shortcoming of the antiterrorist coalition is the cost of the activities of the United States, Israel and their allies in the fight against terrorism. Forceful actions, which the leadership of these countries is focused on, have not yet brought the desired results. On the contrary, the use of force stimulates retaliatory terrorist actions. It turns out a vicious circle.

Finally, in the fight against terrorism, there is another serious problem that does not have an unambiguous solution - whether it is possible and necessary to negotiate with terrorists. As is known, the position of the Russian leadership, as well as the leadership of many other countries, is negative on this issue. In the meantime, this is a question worth thinking about. Lack of dialogue breeds violence. A social (ethnic, religious) group, having run into a blank wall, is trying to get through to its counterparty in any way, including with the help of terrorist attacks. Attacks are becoming a way to express one's dissatisfaction, one's demands, one's political program, one's existence, finally. By denying this group a dialogue, the authorities thereby rather quickly wean it from the internal dialogue. A social or ethnic minority loses the ability to give an account of its problems and demands to itself, reflect on them, rationalize them, and articulate them in the form of fairly clear slogans and programs. On top of that, the authorities themselves are gradually unlearning to reflect and express their own problems at the verbal level - the problems of the majority as opposed to the problems of the minority, the problems of power as opposed to the problems of the opposition, etc. The well-known physiologist I. Pavlov would call this a serious dysfunction of the second signaling system. Society is losing its language. It begins to communicate within itself and with its opponents as if with gestures: terrorists silently blow up, law enforcement agencies silently carry out raids. The demands of terrorists are becoming more and more vague and impossible to fulfill (sometimes there are no demands at all, but there are vague hints of revenge - and not for a specific act, but, as they say, “in general”, for all crimes actually or allegedly committed against a given group). The authorities, on the other hand, declare that in principle they do not intend to enter into negotiations with the criminals 150 .

Of course, the question of negotiations with terrorists is ambiguous: we can talk about tactical negotiations during a terrorist attack in order to save the lives of hostages, or we can raise the fundamental question of dialogue with a strategic adversary. We leave this question open. But, in our opinion, in a mature civil society - and terrorism is not of an interstate, but precisely of an intra-social nature - feedback between the authorities and all opposition layers is necessary. To get out of the vicious circle. Silent mutual mobilization has exhausted itself.

Terrorism, as well as its consequences, is one of the main and most dangerous problems facing the modern world. The reality of the present is the fact that terrorism increasingly threatens the security of most countries, entails huge political, economic and moral losses. Any country, any person can become its victims. The problem of terrorism at the turn of the XX-XXI centuries. has gained particular importance due to its globalization, increased activity, and, consequently, the growth of the threat.

Terrorism has received the greatest development since the 60s of the XX century, when entire regions of the world were covered with zones and centers of activity of terrorist organizations and groups of various orientations. There are about 500 illegal terrorist organizations in the world today. From 1968 to 1980, they committed about 6,700 terrorist acts, as a result of which 3,668 people died and 7,474 were injured.

An unprecedented rise in terrorist attacks has been last decade 20th century In ten years, 6,500 acts of international terrorism have been committed, from which 5,000 people died and more than 11,000 people suffered. Thousands of ordinary citizens in different cities of the world, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Budennovsk, Pervomaisk, Grozny, and in a number of regions of Dagestan, turned out to be victims of terror.

At present, there is an increase in the public danger of terrorism both for international relations and for national security, the constitutional order and the rights of citizens of the most diverse countries in terms of their level. Terrorism is becoming a long-term factor in modern political life. In addition, the link between state and domestic terrorism continues and intensifies.

These conclusions were confirmed by the events of September 11, 2001 in New York and Washington. These terrorist acts are the most daring and large-scale action of international terrorists, as a result of which several thousand people were immediately killed.

Terrorism is a multifaceted phenomenon: political, legal, psychological, philosophical, historical, technological and other aspects are intertwined in it. It is no coincidence that the world community has failed to develop a generally acceptable definition of this important political category.

Terror as a special form of political violence is characterized by cruelty, purposefulness and apparent efficiency. These features predetermined the widespread use of terror throughout human history as a means of political struggle in the interests of the state, organizations and individual groups of people.

"Terror" in Russian is defined as the intimidation of the enemy through physical violence, up to destruction, and terrorism is the practice of terror. The actions of terrorists are not always associated with murder, but always involve violence, coercion, threat. The goals can also be different: purely mercenary, based on a thirst for profit; political, including from narrowly corporate to the overthrow of the state system. Terrorist acts are also committed for the sake of an idea. Therefore, those who share the ideas of a terrorist often call him a patriot, a freedom fighter, an oppositionist, and so on.

In modern conditions, there is an escalation of terrorist activities of extremist individuals, groups and organizations, its nature is becoming more complicated, the sophistication and inhumanity of terrorist acts are increasing. According to the studies of a number of Russian scientists and data from foreign research centers, the total budget in the sphere of terror is annually from 5 to 20 billion dollars.

Terrorism has already acquired an international, global character. Until relatively recently, terrorism could be spoken of as a local phenomenon. In the 80-90s. In the 20th century, it has already become a global phenomenon. This is due to the expansion and globalization of international relations and interaction in various fields.

The concern of the world community with the growth of terrorist activity is due to the large number of victims of terrorists and the huge material damage caused by terror.

Hundreds and even thousands of people die every year in various parts of the world as a result of terrorist attacks. As a rule, these are civilians who have become unwitting hostages of someone's evil will.

Thus, for two days, from 1 to 2 September 2004, in the gymnasium of School No. 1 in Beslan (Republic of North Ossetia-Alania), terrorists held more than 1,200 teachers, students, and their parents. As a result of the explosion carried out by the terrorists, the roof of the gym collapsed. 331 people died, including 172 children, 559 people were injured.

The variety of terrorist activities is growing, which is increasingly linked to national, religious, ethnic conflicts, separatist and liberation movements.

Terrorist activity in modern conditions is characterized by:

Wide scope, lack of clearly defined state borders, the presence of communication and interaction with international terrorist centers and organizations;

tough organizational structure, consisting of the leadership and operational level, intelligence and counterintelligence units, logistics, combat groups and cover;

Rigid conspiracy and careful selection of personnel;

The presence of agents in law enforcement and government agencies;

good technical equipment, competing, and even surpassing the equipment of government troops;

The presence of an extensive network of secret shelters, training bases and training grounds.

It is characteristic that, having taken into its hands modern means of conducting an information war, international terrorism imposes its ideas and its assessments of the situation on the peoples, widely and successfully solves the mobilization tasks of attracting young people to its ranks, not to mention professional mercenaries.

Today, terrorism is no longer only and not so much lone saboteurs, hijackers and kamikaze killers. Modern terrorism is a powerful structure with equipment corresponding to their scale. The examples of Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kosovo, Chechnya and the powerful patrons and donors behind them show that modern terrorism is capable of waging a subversive-terrorist war and participating in large-scale armed conflicts. Terrorism has become a highly profitable business on a global scale with a developed "labor market" (mercenaries and others) and capital investments (arms suppliers, drug trafficking, etc.).

Of particular concern is the intensification of international terrorism and the expansion of its ties with transnational organized crime, drug trafficking, money laundering, the purchase of large quantities of weapons and ammunition, as well as nuclear, chemical, biological and other dangerous materials to fight against various countries and peoples in the modern world. .

Distinctive features of modern terrorism are:

Formation of international and regional governing bodies to address issues of planning terrorist activities, preparing and conducting specific operations, organizing interaction between individual groups and executors involved in a particular action;

Incitement of anti-government sentiments in society in order to successfully fight for influence and power;

Penetration into public and state political, economic and power structures;

Creation of an extensive network of centers and bases for the training of militants and support of operations in various regions of the world, the creation of a network of underground, caches and depots of weapons and ammunition in various countries and regions;

Creation of a network of firms, companies, banks, funds that are used as a cover for terrorists, financing and comprehensive support for their operations;

The concentration of financial resources in the hands of terrorists due to the merging of terrorism with the drug business and the arms trade;

Use of the right to political asylum, residence, activity and basing provided by a number of states;

Using conflict and crisis situations to spread their influence.

Terrorist groups are actively using modern achievements of science and technology in their interests, they have gained wide access to information and modern military technologies. Terrorism is taking on new forms and opportunities due to the growing integration of the international community, the development of information, economic and financial ties, the expansion of migration flows and the weakening of control over border crossings.

Terrorism is looking for new, increasingly cruel and large-scale methods of intimidation. The terrorists crossed a fundamental line - they resorted (in the Japanese subway) to the use of means of mass destruction. According to foreign experts, terrorists have more than once made attempts to "grope for" ways to weapons of mass destruction, tried to get hold of them or manufacture them, penetrate into nuclear institutions or facilities, use potent toxic agents, and commit sabotage against existing and under construction nuclear installations. and nuclear power plants. Public opinion A number of countries are constantly disturbed by rumors about theft and illegal commercial transactions with fissile materials, their secret transfer abroad.

Thus, terrorism turned out to be directly related to the problem of the survival of mankind, ensuring the security of the state. He is not inclined to stop at anything to achieve his goals. On an international scale, terrorism has spread like a terrible epidemic.

The growing activity of terrorism requires the adoption of urgent measures on an international scale already now.

The fight against terrorism, as shown by international and domestic experience, can be effective if it is based on the following principles:

Prevention of terrorist acts due to correctly organized operational activities, planning and preparation for the disruption of planned terrorist actions;

Minimal concessions to terrorists. In the course of negotiations, only private, tactical concessions can be allowed, allowing them to win time, to carry out preparatory measures for conducting the most effective operation in the current conditions;

Minimization of casualties and damage during the anti-terrorist operation;

The inevitability of punishment for terrorist activities.

At present, the fight against terrorism, depending on its specific forms and historical features should be carried out in a comprehensive manner, in several main areas:

1. By improving the activities of special structures that are directly responsible for fighting terrorism. In modern conditions, the role of reconnaissance measures that are able to anticipate, i.e. prevent a terrorist act.

2. With the help of military operations.

International law considers retaliatory forceful actions against terrorists acceptable when the perpetrator of a terrorist act is beyond doubt. In addition, the retaliatory strike must be commensurate with the damage inflicted by terrorists, the victim of terrorism must also seek other means to influence the direct perpetrators and accomplices of terrorist actions in order to prevent their repetition in the future.

3. Using the negotiation process aimed at ending terrorist activities, the gradual solution of acute social problems and the establishment of lasting peace in the country or region.

International experience shows that negotiations with terrorists can have some success.

1. In connection with the transformation of international terrorism into a global threat, it is necessary to coordinate the efforts of the countries of the world to fight and counteract this evil.

The tragic Moscow events of October 23-26, 2002 in cultural center Dubrovka and September 1-2, 2004 in Beslan once again reminded that terrorism must be fought mercilessly. To ensure the necessary effectiveness of this struggle, a simultaneous targeted impact on the social factors and conditions that determine terrorism and favor its spread is required. A wide range of state bodies with the involvement of the public should be involved in solving problems intended for the implementation of social, criminological and special prevention.

The Federal Law “On Combating Terrorism”, which entered into force on August 4, 1998, for the first time in the history of our country, legislatively fixed a system of measures to counter this threat.

According to the Law, entities directly engaged in the fight against terrorism in Russian Federation, are: federal Service(FSB), the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD), the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), the Federal Security Service (FSO), the Ministry of Defense (MO), and the subjects involved in the prevention, detection and suppression of terrorist activities within their competence are and other federal executive bodies, the list of which is determined by the Government of the Russian Federation (clause 3, article 6 of the Law).

The counter-terrorism strategy includes:

Ideological, informational, organizational counteraction to the formation of terrorist intentions and sentiments among citizens;

Legal, informational, administrative and operational counteraction to the emergence of terrorist (extremist) groups and organizations;

Prevention of the acquisition of weapons, ammunition and other means of carrying out criminal acts by persons harboring terrorist intentions;

Prevention of terrorist actions at the stage of their preparation and attempt;

Operational, combat, criminal-legal suppression of terrorist actions at the stage of their implementation.

In recent years, the identification of hotbeds of terrorism in the near and far abroad, which threaten the interests of Russia and its national security, has acquired particular importance. A particular threat is posed by extremist and terrorist organizations of the Muslim world, which achieve their goals by deploying subversive activities, including armed struggle, on the territory of Russia and in its near abroad.

Radical Muslim organizations based in Chechnya receive financial assistance from their organizations in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, and Pakistan. One of the sponsors is Saudi billionaire Osama bin Laden. The activities of Islamist organizations in Chechnya are supported on a permanent basis by Ukrainian nationalists from the UNA - UNSO organization.

This is not a complete picture of the activities of international terrorism, which is increasingly trying to turn the post-Soviet space, especially Russia, into a zone of its active operations. Only a brutal and uncompromising fight against terror will provide Russia and its citizens with confidence in the future.

Russia is ready to make its contribution to the overall efforts of the anti-terrorist coalition, despite the fact that many Western states participating in it have recently sharply criticized us for the actions of federal forces in the fight against militants in Chechnya.