MISUSING THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM – THE ANALOGY BETWEEN THE “WITCH-HUNT” AND THE “GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR”
Аналогија између "лова на вјештице" и "глобалног рата против тероризма"
Keywords:
“witch-hunt”, contemporary crime, terrorism, foreign terrorist fightersAbstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is related to the analogy between modern terrorism, with special reference to foreign terrorist fighters as a form of criminality, and “witch hunt” which as a social phenomenon shaped European medieval and even modern history.
Design/Methods/Approach
The research approach in this paper included a few different techniques from literature review to analysis of documents and official announcements. The paper highlights the main features and key controversies related to modern terrorism, but it also presents certain trends of contemporary terrorism and interprets it through the prism of the “witch hunt” to highlight the common traits of these two phenomena.
Findings
By exploring the analogy between modern terrorism and „witch-hunt“, this paper shed light on the complex interplay between modern terrorism and political power. Findings revealed strong likelihood of misuse in the fight against this contemporary crime, which primarily refers to the possible violations of the human rights of persons accused of crimes related to terrorism.
Originality/Value
In addition to the distinct conceptual vagueness and great fear that these phenomena cause, five key common characteristics are identified.
Keywords: “witch-hunt”, contemporary crime, terrorism, foreign terrorist fighters
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