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Why Europe is struggling with resurgent Islamist extremism
In the heart of Europe, a familiar specter has returned to haunt city streets and public spaces. Recent attacks across the continent have thrust Islamist extremism back into the spotlight, leaving citizens and policymakers alike grappling with a complex and evolving threat. From Paris to Vienna, Brussels to Berlin, a series of violent incidents has shattered the illusion of security that had begun to take hold in the years following the defeat of ISIS’s so-called caliphate.
These attacks, often carried out by «lone wolves» inspired by extremist ideology rather than directed by organized terror groups, have proven particularly difficult for authorities to predict and prevent. The face of terrorism in Europe has changed dramatically since the days of large-scale, coordinated attacks like those in Paris in 2015 or Brussels in 2016. Today’s threat is more decentralized, more unpredictable, and in many ways, more insidious.
«We’re dealing with a hydra-headed monster,» says Dr. Emma Larsson, a counterterrorism expert at Stockholm University. «Cut off one head, and two more grow in its place. The challenge for security services is immense.»
But what’s driving this resurgence of Islamist extremism in Europe? The answer, it seems, is a perfect storm of factors converging to create a volatile situation.
