Publications

“In the West, jihadism has been spreading steadily since the 2000s. It represents a real threat, both real and symbolic, since it calls into question the values of European societies, such as equality, living together or freedom of speech” (Pietrasanta, 2015, p. 8)

When looking at terrorist groups’ narratives, one can notice that they define themselves in opposition to another group, usually the West and its values, that is declared to be the enemy.

In the post 9/11 era, there have been several hostage barricade attacks carried out in the West. Hostage barricade attacks elicit widespread media coverage that can put the population of a country at a standstill for an extensive amount of time in suspense of the hostages’ fates as well as anticipation to negotiation efforts.