Terrorism and Strategic Disputes

The interlinkages between extremist violence, economic interests and geostrategic disputes were approached in the panel on SECURITY. The relations between Russia and the European Union were prominent in this session, marked by the recent diplomatic tensions with the UK, where sanctions to Russia fulfilled mainly internal policy purposes (both for the UK government and Putin regime). The international responses to the Syrian conflict and the war on terror were discussed, with a more pessimistic approach, either because the world has been on the verge of a US-Russian military confrontation in the Syrian case, or because of the lack of coordination and different views in the fight against terrorism, which even goes through the divergence regarding the definition of terrorism and who the "enemies" are. Syria and Libya are an expression of a new type of wars, characterized by anarchic social conditions in which various groups manipulate violence, spreading ideologies based on fear and drawing economic dividends. Syria and Libya are an expression of a new type of wars, characterized by anarchic social conditions in which various groups manipulate violence, spreading ideologies based on fear and drawing economic dividends. There is a clear difficulty in managing and resolving this type of conflicts, as the military approach and classical diplomacy are not enough, and an engagement based on the reinforcement of justice and democratic legitimacy are necessary, within a longer-term approach.