Defeated by Popular Demand: Public Support and Counterterrorism in Three Western Democracies, 1963–1998

Bart Schuurman

Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 2013, vol. 36, issue 2, 152-175

Abstract: Acquiring and maintaining public support is frequently cited as an important requirement for governments fighting non-state actors. But how exactly can public support influence the course of counterterrorism campaigns and thereby contribute to an escalation or de-escalation of violence? This article argues that public support can provide a mandate for action but that it can also set boundaries for the measures governments and their non-state adversaries can legitimately use. Fluctuations in the quantity and quality of public support for either side can expand or contract these boundaries, potentially instigating marked changes in conflict-related violence levels and affecting the efficacy of government countermeasures.

Date: 2013
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DOI: 10.1080/1057610X.2013.747072

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