Terrorism and democracy

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Abstract
When there is a confrontation between the absolute politics of terrorism and the compromising politics of democracies, the former seems to be in a position of advantage. This essay discusses the strengths of democracies (non‐violent change through elections, open criticism in and by the media, courts that protect the weak against the strong) as well as their weaknesses (freedom of movement and association, abundance of accessible targets and a legal system that requires solid proof). The weaknesses of democratic societies are increased by some features of the market system (it not only increases wealth but also inequality, sells weapons to supporters of terrorism, manages their banking and offers them access to the media through the commercial basis of the concept of news value). Ultimately, the struggle between terrorism and democracy is one for legitimacy and maintaining the latter is strategically more important for democratic governments than winning short‐term victories through tactical ‘quick fixes’ which might seem effective but turn democracies into something that begins to mirror the terrorist opponent.

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