The Challenge of Talking about Terrorism: The EU and the Arab Debate on the Causes of Islamist Terrorism1

What is it about?

The Arab ‘hegemonic debate’ on the causes of Islamist terrorism nurtures (pan-) Arab, anti-western sentiments and delegitimizes criticism of the political status quo. The European Union’s emphasis on multilateral means of conflict resolution and trade promotion leads to official pro-nouncements that barely address the Arab world’s domestic problems, instead referring to inter-national tensions such as the Arab-Israeli conflict as a particular cause of Islamist terrorism and the need for cooperation with Arab governments. By failing to challenge the official narratives of authoritarian Arab regimes the EU obstructs interests in the democratization of the region and the delegitimization of Islamist violence.

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Why is it important?

The article highlights how official Arab discourse tries to move attention away from discussing whether the domestic failures of authoritarian regimes might constitute a root cause for the emergence of Islamist terrorism.