TERRORISM IN THE MODERN WORLD: NATURE, ESSENCE AND FEATURES OF INFLUENCE
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/2415-881x.2026.100.3.305-318
Abstract
The present article provides a comprehensive theoretical review of the nature of terrorism and the peculiarities of its destructive impact on the system of state institutions in the modern world. The need to rethink this issue is due to the permanent transformation of terrorist threats, which remain one of the most acute forms of violent political struggle in the conditions of modern globalization.
Within the framework of the study, the key conceptual approaches of domestic and foreign scientists to the interpretation of the definition of terrorism are systematized. It has been established that in Ukrainian scientific discourse (in particular, in the works and articles of M. Trebin, V. Antipenko, O. Bandurka) the emphasis is on the instrumental essence of the phenomenon of terrorism as a method of power struggle through systematic physical coercion and exploitation of public fear. At the same time, the work of Western researchers (M. Crenshaw, A. Schmid, B. Hofmann) allows us to expand this understanding through the analysis of the strategic rationality of the actors of violence, the communicative nature of terrorist attacks and a critical assessment of their real effectiveness in achieving the ultimate goals.
Particular attention is paid to the typology of terrorism, its classification by spatial scale, ideological motivation and mechanisms of influence. A trend towards the evolution of terrorist methods has been identified, where the physical destruction of objects is gradually yielding to informational and psychological dominance. The specifics of state terrorism as a means of internal and external pressure are also revealed. Based on the results of the study, a conclusion was made about the high adaptability of terrorism as a coercive and communicative mechanism capable of causing deep short-term destabilization of socio-political processes. However, its long-term strategic effectiveness remains limited due to the harsh response of the state and society.
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