Suchergebnisse

Object of the thesis is the EU counter-terrorism policy. The main focus of the thesis is placed on the analysis of this aspect. However, in order to obtain an all-round analysis account is also taken of the processes taking place in European Muslim communities. Aim of the thesis – to consider the process of formation of the EU counter-terrorism policy in 2001–2006, to assess the validity of the measures used in the fight against terrorism and their success. Hypothesis of the thesis – the EU counter-terrorism policy is facing difficulties in implementing the application of measures and is not preventive, the application of improper measures contributes to radicalisation of Muslim communities and their involvement in terrorist activities. Seeking an all-round treatment of the problem, the master's thesis analyses transformation of terrorism over the recent years, looks into the factors influencing the radicalisation tendencies of the European Muslim community, and considers evolution of terrorism. Moreover, the master's thesis analyses the practical implementation of the main instruments in the fight against terrorism (the EU's fight against recruitment, solution of the problem of financing of terrorists, consolidation of co-operation of judicial institutions as well as exchange of intelligence by the EU member states). The essential problem preventing the formation of a common EU counter-terrorism policy is the responsibility borne by the member states for ensuring of national security. It is this aspect, which hinders the efficient activities of common counter-terrorism instruments. The efficiency of the EU counter-terrorism policy is reduced by the absence of the institutional framework for the fight against terrorism. In spite of efforts of the EU towards creation of a mechanism to ensure the proper functioning of counter-terrorism activities, this goal has not been achieved yet. A rather contrary effect can be noticed. Although many working groups and committees have been set up, in the absence of their focused activities, functions of the fight against terrorism are duplicated, and co-operation itself is being developed at different levels, which enhances the complexity of the counter-terrorism mechanism. Another important reason reducing the efficiency of the fight against terrorism is the multifaceted nature of the fight against terrorism. The current counter-terrorism policy may be described as reactive rather than preventive. The lack of political will can be noted, and co-operation is accompanied by distrust. The analysis of specific counter-terrorism measures shows that even after a political agreement on their application is achieved, their implementation in practice is slow and is characterised by essential shortcomings. Another important aspect underlining the inefficiency of the EU counter-terrorism policy is criminalisation of the phenomenon of terrorism. Such a stance is formed by the focusing of the EU's fight against terrorism exclusively on legal issues. The absolute majority of implemented measures are legal measures. Moreover, the essential question of the fight against terrorism – why does a part of the European Muslim community become involved in terrorist activities – is omitted. The lack of a socio-cultural component within the framework of the counter-terrorism policy reflects the fact that the EU is fighting against the terrorist organisations of the past. Faced with Jihad terrorism, the EU is applying inert methods, which today cannot provide a valid response. This is another aspect revealing that the EU is fighting against the consequences rather than causes of the phenomenon. Legal measures are necessary to stop terrorist attacks today, however this could be just an adjacent level. Of the greatest importance is solution of socio-cultural problems, whose existence secures recruitment of potential terrorists.

Object of the thesis is the EU counter-terrorism policy. The main focus of the thesis is placed on the analysis of this aspect. However, in order to obtain an all-round analysis account is also taken of the processes taking place in European Muslim communities. Aim of the thesis – to consider the process of formation of the EU counter-terrorism policy in 2001–2006, to assess the validity of the measures used in the fight against terrorism and their success. Hypothesis of the thesis – the EU counter-terrorism policy is facing difficulties in implementing the application of measures and is not preventive, the application of improper measures contributes to radicalisation of Muslim communities and their involvement in terrorist activities. Seeking an all-round treatment of the problem, the master's thesis analyses transformation of terrorism over the recent years, looks into the factors influencing the radicalisation tendencies of the European Muslim community, and considers evolution of terrorism. Moreover, the master's thesis analyses the practical implementation of the main instruments in the fight against terrorism (the EU's fight against recruitment, solution of the problem of financing of terrorists, consolidation of co-operation of judicial institutions as well as exchange of intelligence by the EU member states). The essential problem preventing the formation of a common EU counter-terrorism policy is the responsibility borne by the member states for ensuring of national security. It is this aspect, which hinders the efficient activities of common counter-terrorism instruments. The efficiency of the EU counter-terrorism policy is reduced by the absence of the institutional framework for the fight against terrorism. In spite of efforts of the EU towards creation of a mechanism to ensure the proper functioning of counter-terrorism activities, this goal has not been achieved yet. A rather contrary effect can be noticed. Although many working groups and committees have been set up, in the absence of their focused activities, functions of the fight against terrorism are duplicated, and co-operation itself is being developed at different levels, which enhances the complexity of the counter-terrorism mechanism. Another important reason reducing the efficiency of the fight against terrorism is the multifaceted nature of the fight against terrorism. The current counter-terrorism policy may be described as reactive rather than preventive. The lack of political will can be noted, and co-operation is accompanied by distrust. The analysis of specific counter-terrorism measures shows that even after a political agreement on their application is achieved, their implementation in practice is slow and is characterised by essential shortcomings. Another important aspect underlining the inefficiency of the EU counter-terrorism policy is criminalisation of the phenomenon of terrorism. Such a stance is formed by the focusing of the EU's fight against terrorism exclusively on legal issues. The absolute majority of implemented measures are legal measures. Moreover, the essential question of the fight against terrorism – why does a part of the European Muslim community become involved in terrorist activities – is omitted. The lack of a socio-cultural component within the framework of the counter-terrorism policy reflects the fact that the EU is fighting against the terrorist organisations of the past. Faced with Jihad terrorism, the EU is applying inert methods, which today cannot provide a valid response. This is another aspect revealing that the EU is fighting against the consequences rather than causes of the phenomenon. Legal measures are necessary to stop terrorist attacks today, however this could be just an adjacent level. Of the greatest importance is solution of socio-cultural problems, whose existence secures recruitment of potential terrorists.

Terrorism is not what could be called a new phenomenon in the world. The end of the Cold War and globalisation, however, "have let the genie out of the bottle". In this article the author analyses issues pertaining to the definition of terrorism, tendencies of the terrorist threat (particularly, causes of the growing fatality of terrorism), the impact of globalisation on the phenomenon of terrorism and opportunities and dangers behind the fight against terrorism in the globalisation age. The article claims that during the age of globalisation terrorism becomes popular not only as a means for an asymmetric fight against the stronger opponent of the world's "evil" states; the fight against terrorism is more and more often used as a supplementary instrument in the external and internal policies of Western world democracies. Devoid of an agreement on what terrorism is, states, facing the pressure of foreign and internal interests and/or external pressure, have become used to exaggerating the appeal of the terrorist threat, which, in turn, creates a counterproductive effect and increases security stakes.

Terrorism is not what could be called a new phenomenon in the world. The end of the Cold War and globalisation, however, "have let the genie out of the bottle". In this article the author analyses issues pertaining to the definition of terrorism, tendencies of the terrorist threat (particularly, causes of the growing fatality of terrorism), the impact of globalisation on the phenomenon of terrorism and opportunities and dangers behind the fight against terrorism in the globalisation age. The article claims that during the age of globalisation terrorism becomes popular not only as a means for an asymmetric fight against the stronger opponent of the world's "evil" states; the fight against terrorism is more and more often used as a supplementary instrument in the external and internal policies of Western world democracies. Devoid of an agreement on what terrorism is, states, facing the pressure of foreign and internal interests and/or external pressure, have become used to exaggerating the appeal of the terrorist threat, which, in turn, creates a counterproductive effect and increases security stakes.

Terrorism is not what could be called a new phenomenon in the world. The end of the Cold War and globalisation, however, "have let the genie out of the bottle". In this article the author analyses issues pertaining to the definition of terrorism, tendencies of the terrorist threat (particularly, causes of the growing fatality of terrorism), the impact of globalisation on the phenomenon of terrorism and opportunities and dangers behind the fight against terrorism in the globalisation age. The article claims that during the age of globalisation terrorism becomes popular not only as a means for an asymmetric fight against the stronger opponent of the world's "evil" states; the fight against terrorism is more and more often used as a supplementary instrument in the external and internal policies of Western world democracies. Devoid of an agreement on what terrorism is, states, facing the pressure of foreign and internal interests and/or external pressure, have become used to exaggerating the appeal of the terrorist threat, which, in turn, creates a counterproductive effect and increases security stakes.

Terrorism is not what could be called a new phenomenon in the world. The end of the Cold War and globalisation, however, "have let the genie out of the bottle". In this article the author analyses issues pertaining to the definition of terrorism, tendencies of the terrorist threat (particularly, causes of the growing fatality of terrorism), the impact of globalisation on the phenomenon of terrorism and opportunities and dangers behind the fight against terrorism in the globalisation age. The article claims that during the age of globalisation terrorism becomes popular not only as a means for an asymmetric fight against the stronger opponent of the world's "evil" states; the fight against terrorism is more and more often used as a supplementary instrument in the external and internal policies of Western world democracies. Devoid of an agreement on what terrorism is, states, facing the pressure of foreign and internal interests and/or external pressure, have become used to exaggerating the appeal of the terrorist threat, which, in turn, creates a counterproductive effect and increases security stakes.

Ideology is the driving force of politically motivated violence. The war against al Qaeda is basically a war of ideas. The international community should defeat terrorists' ideological base in order to eliminate al Qaeda's network. Coordination of hard and soft power instruments may determine the success of combating al Qaeda's terrorist network and any other terrorist organization. Defeating al Qaeda's ideology should include operational fight against al Qaeda's ideologues, ideology's spreaders and responsive communication strategy. Increased activity of moderate Muslims in the ideological war against al Qaeda should also be a priority. These means may determine the discredit of al Qaeda's ideology and elimination of recruitment cycle. To sum up, soft power instruments are obligatory elements on purpose to stop al Qaeda's ideology expansion.

Ideology is the driving force of politically motivated violence. The war against al Qaeda is basically a war of ideas. The international community should defeat terrorists' ideological base in order to eliminate al Qaeda's network. Coordination of hard and soft power instruments may determine the success of combating al Qaeda's terrorist network and any other terrorist organization. Defeating al Qaeda's ideology should include operational fight against al Qaeda's ideologues, ideology's spreaders and responsive communication strategy. Increased activity of moderate Muslims in the ideological war against al Qaeda should also be a priority. These means may determine the discredit of al Qaeda's ideology and elimination of recruitment cycle. To sum up, soft power instruments are obligatory elements on purpose to stop al Qaeda's ideology expansion.

Ideology is the driving force of politically motivated violence. The war against al Qaeda is basically a war of ideas. The international community should defeat terrorists' ideological base in order to eliminate al Qaeda's network. Coordination of hard and soft power instruments may determine the success of combating al Qaeda's terrorist network and any other terrorist organization. Defeating al Qaeda's ideology should include operational fight against al Qaeda's ideologues, ideology's spreaders and responsive communication strategy. Increased activity of moderate Muslims in the ideological war against al Qaeda should also be a priority. These means may determine the discredit of al Qaeda's ideology and elimination of recruitment cycle. To sum up, soft power instruments are obligatory elements on purpose to stop al Qaeda's ideology expansion.

Terrorism is one of the main threats of recent years, not only to national security, but also to the entire world community. This phenomenon has existed for at least a couple of multiple decades. However, in 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, which were highlighted on live television broadcasts, have revealed to many people the destructive potential of this form of violence. This event has become fatal for terrorism studies, from the sight of academics, researchers to special services, which have become the subject of global interest. At the same time, this date symbolized a new phase in the transformation of terrorism, which has prompted states, in particular the United States, to initiate a counter-terrorism campaign. Precisely, in almost few decades that terrorism and the fight against this phenomenon can be traced to a transformation of terrorist threats, the consequences of which have also been felt by EU states. Terrorist attacks pre-9/11, after 9/11, in 2004 Madrid and in 2005 London confirmed the predictions by terrorist experts that Europe is a harbinger of Jihadist terrorism and that the manifestation of attacks on the territory of the EU is a matter of time. Nevertheless, in recent years, contradictories went real following most ferocious terrorism attacks in 2015 France and in 2016 Belgium. Human resources have become the main reason for Jihadist terrorism to function in the EU. It is precisely in Europe that is seen active trends of terrorist recruitment and radicalization. The targets of these processes are the members of the Muslim communities living in Europe who have not adapted and integrated into the socio-cultural life of the EU countries. In today's context, when terrorist activities are carried out in different EU countries, they move freely within the EU and enjoy other benefits provided by the EU. The need for an effective common EU counter-terrorism policy has emerged. Noteworthy that the safeguarding of national security still remains within the competence of the Member States. At the same time, the formation and implementation of EU counter-terrorist policies is one of the most dynamic areas. It is this aspect that justifies the relevance of the EU's fight against terrorism. Knowing that, the use of adequate counter-terrorist methods can only hold back terrorism, the EU's response to the threats of Jihadist terrorism in Europe over recent years is being addressed. The object of the Master's thesis is the EU counter-terrorism policy. At the same time, a comprehensive analysis will also assess the processes and policies taking place in the European Union. The aim of the Master's thesis is to study the formation of EU counter-terrorism policies in 2001-2016, assessing the validity of the applicable counter-terrorism measures and their success. To accomplish this, the following tasks have been implemented: 1. To define the transformation of threats of Jihadist terrorism in today's world; 2. To determine what is causing the tendencies of radicalization of Muslim communities; 3. To examine the evolution of the EU's counter-terrorism policy and thus to reveal its essential aspects in order to answer the question of whether the EU's counter-terrorism policy is of a preventative nature; 4. To examine the EU's institutional counter-terrorism mechanism in assessing whether the EU's fight against terrorism has been successfully coordinated at EU level; 5. To examine the practical application of key EU counter-terrorism measures; 6. Finally assessing whether the EU counter-terrorism measurements are adequate and whether responds appropriately to the tendencies of contemporary threats of terrorism in the EU. Master's work structure reflects the sequence of tasks set. The first part briefly presents the main aspects of the transformation of terrorism and threats of Jihadist terrorism in the EU. As well analyzes the factors contributing to the radicalization of Muslim communities. The second part examines the evolution of the EU counter-terrorism policies, introduces the development of a legal framework for combating terrorism, and examines the features of the functioning of the counter-terrorism mechanism. The third part, examines the practical implementation of specific anti-terrorist measures, based on the findings of the study, highlights the evaluation in the EU's counter-terrorism policies and implementation of measures.

Terrorism is one of the main threats of recent years, not only to national security, but also to the entire world community. This phenomenon has existed for at least a couple of multiple decades. However, in 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, which were highlighted on live television broadcasts, have revealed to many people the destructive potential of this form of violence. This event has become fatal for terrorism studies, from the sight of academics, researchers to special services, which have become the subject of global interest. At the same time, this date symbolized a new phase in the transformation of terrorism, which has prompted states, in particular the United States, to initiate a counter-terrorism campaign. Precisely, in almost few decades that terrorism and the fight against this phenomenon can be traced to a transformation of terrorist threats, the consequences of which have also been felt by EU states. Terrorist attacks pre-9/11, after 9/11, in 2004 Madrid and in 2005 London confirmed the predictions by terrorist experts that Europe is a harbinger of Jihadist terrorism and that the manifestation of attacks on the territory of the EU is a matter of time. Nevertheless, in recent years, contradictories went real following most ferocious terrorism attacks in 2015 France and in 2016 Belgium. Human resources have become the main reason for Jihadist terrorism to function in the EU. It is precisely in Europe that is seen active trends of terrorist recruitment and radicalization. The targets of these processes are the members of the Muslim communities living in Europe who have not adapted and integrated into the socio-cultural life of the EU countries. In today's context, when terrorist activities are carried out in different EU countries, they move freely within the EU and enjoy other benefits provided by the EU. The need for an effective common EU counter-terrorism policy has emerged. Noteworthy that the safeguarding of national security still remains within the competence of the Member States. At the same time, the formation and implementation of EU counter-terrorist policies is one of the most dynamic areas. It is this aspect that justifies the relevance of the EU's fight against terrorism. Knowing that, the use of adequate counter-terrorist methods can only hold back terrorism, the EU's response to the threats of Jihadist terrorism in Europe over recent years is being addressed. The object of the Master's thesis is the EU counter-terrorism policy. At the same time, a comprehensive analysis will also assess the processes and policies taking place in the European Union. The aim of the Master's thesis is to study the formation of EU counter-terrorism policies in 2001-2016, assessing the validity of the applicable counter-terrorism measures and their success. To accomplish this, the following tasks have been implemented: 1. To define the transformation of threats of Jihadist terrorism in today's world; 2. To determine what is causing the tendencies of radicalization of Muslim communities; 3. To examine the evolution of the EU's counter-terrorism policy and thus to reveal its essential aspects in order to answer the question of whether the EU's counter-terrorism policy is of a preventative nature; 4. To examine the EU's institutional counter-terrorism mechanism in assessing whether the EU's fight against terrorism has been successfully coordinated at EU level; 5. To examine the practical application of key EU counter-terrorism measures; 6. Finally assessing whether the EU counter-terrorism measurements are adequate and whether responds appropriately to the tendencies of contemporary threats of terrorism in the EU. Master's work structure reflects the sequence of tasks set. The first part briefly presents the main aspects of the transformation of terrorism and threats of Jihadist terrorism in the EU. As well analyzes the factors contributing to the radicalization of Muslim communities. The second part examines the evolution of the EU counter-terrorism policies, introduces the development of a legal framework for combating terrorism, and examines the features of the functioning of the counter-terrorism mechanism. The third part, examines the practical implementation of specific anti-terrorist measures, based on the findings of the study, highlights the evaluation in the EU's counter-terrorism policies and implementation of measures.

Terrorism is one of the main threats of recent years, not only to national security, but also to the entire world community. This phenomenon has existed for at least a couple of multiple decades. However, in 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, which were highlighted on live television broadcasts, have revealed to many people the destructive potential of this form of violence. This event has become fatal for terrorism studies, from the sight of academics, researchers to special services, which have become the subject of global interest. At the same time, this date symbolized a new phase in the transformation of terrorism, which has prompted states, in particular the United States, to initiate a counter-terrorism campaign. Precisely, in almost few decades that terrorism and the fight against this phenomenon can be traced to a transformation of terrorist threats, the consequences of which have also been felt by EU states. Terrorist attacks pre-9/11, after 9/11, in 2004 Madrid and in 2005 London confirmed the predictions by terrorist experts that Europe is a harbinger of Jihadist terrorism and that the manifestation of attacks on the territory of the EU is a matter of time. Nevertheless, in recent years, contradictories went real following most ferocious terrorism attacks in 2015 France and in 2016 Belgium. Human resources have become the main reason for Jihadist terrorism to function in the EU. It is precisely in Europe that is seen active trends of terrorist recruitment and radicalization. The targets of these processes are the members of the Muslim communities living in Europe who have not adapted and integrated into the socio-cultural life of the EU countries. In today's context, when terrorist activities are carried out in different EU countries, they move freely within the EU and enjoy other benefits provided by the EU. The need for an effective common EU counter-terrorism policy has emerged. Noteworthy that the safeguarding of national security still remains within the competence of the Member States. At the same time, the formation and implementation of EU counter-terrorist policies is one of the most dynamic areas. It is this aspect that justifies the relevance of the EU's fight against terrorism. Knowing that, the use of adequate counter-terrorist methods can only hold back terrorism, the EU's response to the threats of Jihadist terrorism in Europe over recent years is being addressed. The object of the Master's thesis is the EU counter-terrorism policy. At the same time, a comprehensive analysis will also assess the processes and policies taking place in the European Union. The aim of the Master's thesis is to study the formation of EU counter-terrorism policies in 2001-2016, assessing the validity of the applicable counter-terrorism measures and their success. To accomplish this, the following tasks have been implemented: 1. To define the transformation of threats of Jihadist terrorism in today's world; 2. To determine what is causing the tendencies of radicalization of Muslim communities; 3. To examine the evolution of the EU's counter-terrorism policy and thus to reveal its essential aspects in order to answer the question of whether the EU's counter-terrorism policy is of a preventative nature; 4. To examine the EU's institutional counter-terrorism mechanism in assessing whether the EU's fight against terrorism has been successfully coordinated at EU level; 5. To examine the practical application of key EU counter-terrorism measures; 6. Finally assessing whether the EU counter-terrorism measurements are adequate and whether responds appropriately to the tendencies of contemporary threats of terrorism in the EU. Master's work structure reflects the sequence of tasks set. The first part briefly presents the main aspects of the transformation of terrorism and threats of Jihadist terrorism in the EU. As well analyzes the factors contributing to the radicalization of Muslim communities. The second part examines the evolution of the EU counter-terrorism policies, introduces the development of a legal framework for combating terrorism, and examines the features of the functioning of the counter-terrorism mechanism. The third part, examines the practical implementation of specific anti-terrorist measures, based on the findings of the study, highlights the evaluation in the EU's counter-terrorism policies and implementation of measures.

Terrorism is one of the main threats of recent years, not only to national security, but also to the entire world community. This phenomenon has existed for at least a couple of multiple decades. However, in 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, which were highlighted on live television broadcasts, have revealed to many people the destructive potential of this form of violence. This event has become fatal for terrorism studies, from the sight of academics, researchers to special services, which have become the subject of global interest. At the same time, this date symbolized a new phase in the transformation of terrorism, which has prompted states, in particular the United States, to initiate a counter-terrorism campaign. Precisely, in almost few decades that terrorism and the fight against this phenomenon can be traced to a transformation of terrorist threats, the consequences of which have also been felt by EU states. Terrorist attacks pre-9/11, after 9/11, in 2004 Madrid and in 2005 London confirmed the predictions by terrorist experts that Europe is a harbinger of Jihadist terrorism and that the manifestation of attacks on the territory of the EU is a matter of time. Nevertheless, in recent years, contradictories went real following most ferocious terrorism attacks in 2015 France and in 2016 Belgium. Human resources have become the main reason for Jihadist terrorism to function in the EU. It is precisely in Europe that is seen active trends of terrorist recruitment and radicalization. The targets of these processes are the members of the Muslim communities living in Europe who have not adapted and integrated into the socio-cultural life of the EU countries. In today's context, when terrorist activities are carried out in different EU countries, they move freely within the EU and enjoy other benefits provided by the EU. The need for an effective common EU counter-terrorism policy has emerged. Noteworthy that the safeguarding of national security still remains within the competence of the Member States. At the same time, the formation and implementation of EU counter-terrorist policies is one of the most dynamic areas. It is this aspect that justifies the relevance of the EU's fight against terrorism. Knowing that, the use of adequate counter-terrorist methods can only hold back terrorism, the EU's response to the threats of Jihadist terrorism in Europe over recent years is being addressed. The object of the Master's thesis is the EU counter-terrorism policy. At the same time, a comprehensive analysis will also assess the processes and policies taking place in the European Union. The aim of the Master's thesis is to study the formation of EU counter-terrorism policies in 2001-2016, assessing the validity of the applicable counter-terrorism measures and their success. To accomplish this, the following tasks have been implemented: 1. To define the transformation of threats of Jihadist terrorism in today's world; 2. To determine what is causing the tendencies of radicalization of Muslim communities; 3. To examine the evolution of the EU's counter-terrorism policy and thus to reveal its essential aspects in order to answer the question of whether the EU's counter-terrorism policy is of a preventative nature; 4. To examine the EU's institutional counter-terrorism mechanism in assessing whether the EU's fight against terrorism has been successfully coordinated at EU level; 5. To examine the practical application of key EU counter-terrorism measures; 6. Finally assessing whether the EU counter-terrorism measurements are adequate and whether responds appropriately to the tendencies of contemporary threats of terrorism in the EU. Master's work structure reflects the sequence of tasks set. The first part briefly presents the main aspects of the transformation of terrorism and threats of Jihadist terrorism in the EU. As well analyzes the factors contributing to the radicalization of Muslim communities. The second part examines the evolution of the EU counter-terrorism policies, introduces the development of a legal framework for combating terrorism, and examines the features of the functioning of the counter-terrorism mechanism. The third part, examines the practical implementation of specific anti-terrorist measures, based on the findings of the study, highlights the evaluation in the EU's counter-terrorism policies and implementation of measures.

Although Lithuania by now has been a member of the international antiterrorist coalition with all the issuing consequences (including its international commitments and new threats for its safety) for more than three years, studies of and research on terrorism in it remain in the embryonic phase. There are practically no contributors writing about the terrorism phenomenon in the Lithuanian language. As a result, there is no discourse about this sphere of studies. This means that so far no well defined terminology and standing conventions of academic parlance have been introduced, which would enable to go deeper into not only the nature of terrorism as a phenomenon (this is being done for at least forty years in the world) but also the perception of terrorism here, in Lithuania. Reasons which stimulate terrorism, the motivation and goals of terrorists, the perception of the reality of threats as well as readiness to deal with them on both political and social levels – these are the subjects of this article. Though the objective of this article is not to carry out a comparable analysis with the situation and practice of other states, the particular case of Lithuania is conceptualized in the perspective of the international terrorism and global antiterrorist drive. A peculiar pattern for this article was a recent (published in the spring of 2004) study "International Terrorism and Finland" by Toby Archer, where the threats of terrorism to Finland are analyzed.

Although Lithuania by now has been a member of the international antiterrorist coalition with all the issuing consequences (including its international commitments and new threats for its safety) for more than three years, studies of and research on terrorism in it remain in the embryonic phase. There are practically no contributors writing about the terrorism phenomenon in the Lithuanian language. As a result, there is no discourse about this sphere of studies. This means that so far no well defined terminology and standing conventions of academic parlance have been introduced, which would enable to go deeper into not only the nature of terrorism as a phenomenon (this is being done for at least forty years in the world) but also the perception of terrorism here, in Lithuania. Reasons which stimulate terrorism, the motivation and goals of terrorists, the perception of the reality of threats as well as readiness to deal with them on both political and social levels – these are the subjects of this article. Though the objective of this article is not to carry out a comparable analysis with the situation and practice of other states, the particular case of Lithuania is conceptualized in the perspective of the international terrorism and global antiterrorist drive. A peculiar pattern for this article was a recent (published in the spring of 2004) study "International Terrorism and Finland" by Toby Archer, where the threats of terrorism to Finland are analyzed.