| |
| author |
Melissa Viana
| | title |
France as a Target for Terror: A Study of Lone Wolf Terrorism in the 21st Century
| | abstract |
Among other European countries such as Belgium, Germany, Spain, and the
United Kingdom, France has endured some of the worst attacks carried out by jihadists
outside of the Middle East in the past decade, highlighting the country's status as a target
for terrorism and militancy. The 2015 Paris attacks alone were the deadliest terrorist
attacks on European soil since the Madrid bombings in March of 2004. This thesis aims
to understand why modern jihadist terrorist organizations like ISIS have chosen France as
a long-time target for terror and why the country has been attacked the most out of all
European countries within the time frame of 2014 to 2018. In addressing this question,
this paper will illustrate how the Islamic State's ability to conquer the hearts and minds of
despondent minority populations of French nationality contributes to a higher amount of
lone wolf terrorism. This paper will utilize datasets, public opinion data, the views of
scholars, historical evidence, and ISIS propaganda to conclude that France's complex
history of secularism combined with the alienation of the Muslim community has created
conditions that breed lone wolf terrorists who are inspired by radical Islamic ideology
and resort to jihad to express their frustration against French government and society.
| | school |
The College of Liberal Arts, Drew University
| | degree |
B.A. (2020)
|
| advisor |
Carlos Yordan
|
| full text | MViana.pdf |
| |
