Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Does international terrorism lead to common threat perceptions and pressure for states to converge around an optimal response model? The paper elaborates a preliminary theoretical framework to analyse how the emergence of international terrorism has been perceived and reacted to by Western democratic states. It is based on the theoretical literature positing a correlation between cognitive and emotional reactions to threats and preferred responses. The paper draws primarily on public opinion polls and comparative counter-terrorist policy reviews to argue that the homogenisation thesis is theoretically and empirically misguided. The paper proposes a three-pronged modern constructivist approach to explaining observed cross-national differences in perception and response, combining insights from the literature on policy-communities, security culture, and social psychology. It will be argued that even though threat perceptions do vary substantially across member states, policy responses are remarkably similar, pointing to the transnational influence of the EU and justice and home ministers as a powerful network of actors pushing for a set of resource- and influence enhancing policies.