RESILIENCE CONCEPT AS A METHODOLOGICAL BASIS OF A NEW APPROACH TO COUNTERING INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM

• Main Authors: Dmitriy S Tulupov, Gleb V Kotsur
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University) 2019-12-01
• Series: RUDN Journal of Political Science
• Subjects: international terrorism; resilience; public security; fight against terrorism; antiterrorist strategies; civil self-organization; social solidarity
• Online Access: http://journals.rudn.ru/political-science/article/viewFile/21851/17296

The aim of this article is to identify actual and prospective opportunities for the use of “resilience” concept in counter-terrorism warfare. The resilience is usually defined as an ability of an individual, society or ecosystem to recover or adapt after a shock. Discourse-analysis of the local periodical press enabled authors to draw two important conclusions. Firstly, resilience as a strength feature of a (city) community is internally generated, rather than imposed from top down. Secondly, the resilience of urban population to terrorism both in Russia and in European countries has similar features, namely the high degree of low-level civil self-organization and active use of social networks potential. The relevance of resilience serves as an indicator that this concept has become a core element of a new public security paradigm in the West. At the same time, resilience is not featuring in the Russian social-political discourse at all. However, authors have identified a number of provisions in the 2009 Concept of combating against terrorism, which might be considered as feasible prerequisites for the articulation of resilience in the Russian discourse in the future. Filling this gap might be a strategically important task in context of enhancement of the Russian Federation’s strategy of counter-terrorism activity.