Journal Review:
Mahmood, R., & Jetter, M. (2020). Communications Technology and Terrorism. Journal Of Conflict Resolution, 64(1), 127-166. doi: 10.1177/0022002719843989
Name
Affiliation
Mahmood, R., & Jetter, M. (2020). Communications Technology and Terrorism. Journal Of Conflict Resolution, 64(1), 127-166. doi: 10.1177/0022002719843989
The journal article explores the link between Communications Technology (CT) and terrorism, which is one of the international homeland security issues. CT in the article refers to mass media communication tools such as radio, newspapers, television and the internet. The journal formulates a hypothesis that the CT level in the society is systematically linked to terrorism. The authors of the article discuss an essential aspect of international terrorism – the ability of CT tools to facilitate terrorism. The subject of the use of CT to spread terrorist propaganda, radicalize people, obtain recruits, disseminate training videos and solicit funds has experienced widespread use in the last decade. The Islamic State for Iraq and Syria (ISIS), for instance, when at its peak in 2014, effectively utilized CT to attract thousands of people to its conquered territories as well as inspire lone actors to commit terrorist acts in the West (Simons, 2018).
The authors of the journal present a simple theory that provides a suggestion that a rise in CT use makes terrorism at first attractive, but then gradually decreases in the form of a U-shape. The authors arrive at their hypotheses by using data from 199 countries across the globe, where they can obtain empirical evidence for their predictions. The authors argue that terrorism peaks when there is a rise in the use of CT platforms in society. The authors go on to point out that terrorism will reduce with time. The authors go on to explain why terrorism becomes more attractive with the increasing use of CT tools. The authors point out how CT expands the horizon of terrorists beyond the regions where they are located. The use of the internet, for instance, enables a terrorist group to disseminate their message to the western world. The increasing use of Twitter by ISIS lured hundreds of youth in the United States and other Western countries to travel to the Middle East (Simons, 2018). The authors also explain why attractiveness to terrorism will gradually decrease with time. The authors also articulate reasons such as counter-narratives against terrorist propaganda and other actions taken to prevent the terrorist use of CT to advance their objectives. Major social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter have taken measures to limit the ability of terrorists to advance their goals using the CT platforms. There are also increasing law enforcement activities targeting those that want to use the internet to plan and carry out terrorist attacks.
