Zimmerman 1

Marie Zimmerman
PSCI 4002-001
Fitzgerald
April 29, 2016
Terrorist Threat in Western Europe
Terrorism is the use of covert violence by a group for political ends. The political aspect
of this definition is vital as terrorism throughout the world continues to rise as religious, ethnic,
and disparaged groups seek political change through the aggressive use of force and violence.
The act of terrorism within itself is extremely terrifying, as a collective groups end goal is to
strike a psychological fear within a country or other group of victims. Acts of terrorism remain
difficult to construct, as covert violence, to the extent it has been used in the twenty-first century
especially, requires an extremely high level of coordination and secrecy. Throughout the years,
the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) has conducted a study of the impact terrorism has had on over
162 countries in the international spectrum. Covering about 99.6% of the worlds population, the
GTI recorded that in 2014 annual deaths from terrorism rose to 32,685, constituting an 80%
increase from 2013.1 These numbers continue to rise and although a significant number of these
deaths occur in the Middle East and Africa each year, numbers in Europe remain steady as well.
Especially due to the current conflict in Syria, the new international terror group deemed ISIL,
and the refugee crisis Europe faces, terrorism in Western Europe remains an issue. Throughout
this area, though, different countries are seeing different levels of terrorist threats and violent
outbreak. Why is it that some Western European countries (both in the past and recently) are
being hit harder by terrorism than others?
In order to further answer this question, I have chosen two particular countries to test the level of
terrorism in each and why these levels might differ. Both Belgium and the Netherlands are
similar in their history, geography, and governmental structure; therefore three variables that can
1 Institute for Economics and Peace. Global Terrorism Index. Report. 2015. Accessed April 25, 2016.
http://economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Global-Terrorism-Index-2015.pdf. Pg. 11.

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be controlled for in this study. The Kingdom of the Netherlands was originally created in 1815
and later in 1830 Belgium seceded to form their distinct sovereign territory. These two close
neighbors are extremely similar in size and population as well as culture. The Flemish
community in Belgium continues to be very close culturally to the Dutch population. Both
nations have also had to recently handle issues dealing with the refugee crisis, immigration
integration, and jihadi fighters on domestic soil. Both have parliamentary governments with a
king as chief of state and prime minister as head of government; and both have a modeled legal
system based on the civil law system of the French Civil Code.2
Unfortunately, although very similar in nature, both in the past and recently Belgium has
been hit harder by terrorism and potential terrorist threats than the Netherlands has. This is the
case throughout Western Europe as the threat of terrorist violence grows, different neighboring
countries in the area are experiencing different levels of this violence. Why is this the case? To
further test this question, I consider hypotheses deriving form the institutions of both nations and
how these institutions deal with immigration and terrorism. I argue that countries with a poor
immigration integration system are hit harder by terrorism, countries with a marginalized Muslim
population are hit harder by terrorism, and that countries with poor intelligence and law
enforcement programs to further disintegrate terrorist threats and domestic terrorist aid are hit
harder by terrorism. These hypotheses will be tested in the countries Belgium and the
Netherlands and the outcomes compared to best explain why terrorist threats vary in Western
Europe.
Belgium has recently been a target of terrorist extremist groups. Just recently on March 22, 2016
two explosions, at least one of them being a suicide bomber, went off at the Brussels airport
2 CIA Factbook. "Belgium vs. Netherlands." - Country Comparison. Accessed April 25, 2016.
http://www.indexmundi.com/factbook/compare/belgium.netherlands.

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killing 28 victims and wounding over 300. According to Victoria Shannon of the New York
Times, eight hours after the explosions a news agency affiliated with the Islamic State issued a
bulletin claiming responsibility, calling Belgium a country participating in the coalition against
the Islamic State.3 Since the terrorist attacks in France in November of 2015, Belgium has
attempted to make efforts in aiding the French government in search of the coordinators. The
Islamic State has deemed the Western European democratic nations as enemies throughout this
conflict in Syria and all of these nations remain in danger. Why Brussels in particular? Belgium
has in many instances been targeted by the Islamic state and many are curious as to why its
capital remains a target of terrorist attack.
Brusselss immigration integration, Muslim treatment, and jihadi population all play a part in its
high levels of terrorism. Brussels has a high proportion of citizens who travel to Iraq, insular
Muslim communities believed to have helped shield jihadists, and security services that have had
problems with their counterterrorism operations, Shannon writes. Its large influx of Syrian
refugees as well as its large jihadi population makes Belgium prone to terrorist attack. After these
bombings in March, CNN did a full report on how such a small country (about the size of
Maryland) has turned into a hotbed of violent jihadist ideology. Belgium has a high percentage
of foreign fighters and currently, per capita, more young Belgium men are traveling to join ISIS
in Iraq and Syria than any other Western European country.4 With nearly 500 men and women
leaving Belgium to take part in this, and many of them then returning to Belgian soil, their
terrorist threat grows.

3 Shannon, Victoria. "Brussels Attacks: What We Know and Dont Know." The New York Times. 2016.
Accessed April 25, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/23/world/europe/brussels-attacks-what-weknow-and-dont-know.html?_r=0.
4 Sanchez, Ray. "Why Belgium? Five Reasons." CNN. March 26, 2016. Accessed April 25, 2016.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/24/europe/belgium-why-terrorists-struck/.

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Another situation Belgium faces is their Muslim population regularly feeling
marginalized. Many Muslims feel there exists unfair discrimination and a system that is far from
equal opportunity. With high unemployment rates, urbanized cities of Belgium have been known
to discriminate towards Muslims while during both job application and everyday life. Many of
these youth in poor neighborhoods have sought outlets of anger towards the nation and this
political issue through both crime and in many cases the extremist jihadi movement. Poor
neighborhoods like Molenbeek have a large number of immigrants from North African and a
youth unemployment rate of more than 40%.IBID Numbers like these aid to a failure of immigrant
integration. It is vital for immigrants to feel that they belong in a country and that they have
equal opportunity in that country for a smooth transition into society. Anger and
disenfranchisement have led to large amounts of youth ages 18-25 leaving Belgium to go join
foreign fighters in both Syria and Iraq. Robin Emmott recently wrote an article highlighting this
serious issue. Western fighters in Syria and Iraq have found some of their most willing recruits
in tiny Belgium, she writes.5 Many of this marginalized group have turned to the jihadist
ideology and have found a distinctive political outlet to voice their frustrations. This immigration
integration and minority equality must be addressed in Belgian politics and I argue, aids to a high
level of terrorist activity in both the Brussels area and Belgium as a whole.
To understand violence extremist and where it stems from, the United States Institute of
Peace (USIP) recently did a study for the Global Terrorism Index that studied 2,032 individuals
reasons for choosing to leave their homes and fight for al-Qaida. Although al-Qaida was a
different terrorist extremist group than the one the international community faces now, the
IBIDIBID Sanchez, Ray. Why Belgium?
5 Emmott, Robin. "Belgium's Marginalized Muslims Fight in Syria out of Despair." Reuters. January 15,
2015. Accessed April 25, 2016. http://www.reuters.com/article/belgium-security-fightersidUSL6N0UU58K20150115.

Zimmerman 5
findings of the study can be used to better understand why individuals are first driven to aid and
abed terrorist groups both internationally and on domestic soil afterwards. In the table below we
can conclude that out of all the subjects, the study showed that the two largest categories were
identity seeking and revenge seeking or anger motivated. The Global Terrorism Index
identifies that most foreign fighter recruiters are between the ages of 15 and 35 and then analyzes
the data and responds by writing, High levels of idle youth are not in employment, education or
training correlates. Lack of inclusion and engagement can fuel feelings of isolation and
alienation.6IBID Rationally, these feelings can later lead to individuals seeking revenge and a
sense of belonging within a group or ideology. Through this empirical data, although it was done
by the United States and based upon the al-Qaida terrorist group, I argue that it can also be
pertained to the current issue Western Europe currently faces with ISIL. It is both an immigration
issue and a Muslim marginalization issue that is aiding towards the level of threat of terrorism
that Belgium faces.

6IBID Institute for Economics and Peace. Global Terrorism Index. Report. 2015. Pg. 75.

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On top of these immigration and Muslim minority treatment issues aiding to terrorism,
the police force in Belgium continues to exist as an inadequate counterterrorist movement.
Jihadist activity appears to blindside authorities and terror planning happens within urbanized
cities more than it does in the Netherlands without the intelligence and law enforcement agencies
responding. Also, with no fewer than six different police zones, the country has a reputation of
being an easy place to buy and transport illegal firearms.7 With an easily accessible illegal
firearm market as well as a lack of police responsiveness, the jihadist ideology has growing room
and many groups inside domestic homes of Brussels can accessibly aid terrorists. The capital is a
good hiding spot for many extremist groups or individuals and because it only takes about an
hour to drive from one end of the country to the other, Belgium provides and quick entrance and
exit to and from their borders.
Overall, the country and its capital have been in the past and continue to be hit hard by
terrorism for many reasons. The International Centre for the Study of Radicalization (ICSR) does
a good job of summing up the conditions in Belgium and why it is so susceptible to terrorism.
First, they note that the country has in the past had a longstanding and well-organized network of
radical Islamist extremist recruiters. A past history of terrorism systematically aids to its future
threat. When extremist groups know it has been successful in the area before, and law
enforcement has failed to address it, there is room for growth of terror movement in the future.
Second, it explains their inadequate police and intelligence agencies as well as their lack of
resources to respond to these issues. Counter-terrorism officers in Belgium will readily admit
that they are overwhelmed by the numbers of suspected jihadists in the country, Director Peter

7 Clerix, Kristof. "Why Are Terrorists Drawn to Belgium? | Kristof Clerix." The Guardian. November 17,
2015. Accessed April 25, 2016. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/17/terroristsbelgium-paris-attacks.

Zimmerman 7
Neumann said on BBC Radio 4.8 These variables paired together are the reason that Belgium in
particular is hit harder by international terrorism than other Western European countries,
especially in recent news. The Netherlands, its northern neighbor, has a similar institutional
governmental and geographical basis, yet has proven to be hit less by this modern day terrorist
threat. Because of the Netherlandss successful immigration integration and responsiveness to
domestic issues close to terrorist threats, it has been successful in keeping the jihadist ideological
following small and its numbers of foreign fighters much smaller as well.
The Netherlands has a very homogenous society with around 80.7% of their population
being of Dutch decent.IBID They also have done much better than Belgium in integrating their
immigrant community and helping their Muslim population feel included into society. The
Netherlands has a long history of immigration and has always taken pride in the relative
tolerance they have shown towards these newcomers. Immigrants who came after the Second
World War originally found citizenship easily attainable, but soon migrants were economically
marginalized. Marginalization is usually inevitable in countries with high immigration rates, but
it is their response to the issue that most matters. Strong efforts have been made and since 1988
several new immigration and integration laws have been introduced.9 These efforts have aided
towards an immigrant population, especially Muslim, which feels more satisfied with the
government. Rationally, when people are satisfied with government, there is less of an
opportunity to retaliate and relocate, especially to aid terrorist movements.
The numbers remain unclear due to lack of exact information, but the estimates of jihad
fighters in both Belgium and Netherlands still vary extremely. In Belgium there are
8 Neumann, Peter. "ICSR Analysis on Brussels Attack / ICSR." ICSR. March 24, 2016. Accessed April
25, 2016. http://icsr.info/2016/03/icsr-analysis-brussels-attack/.
IBIDIBID CIA Factbook. Belgium vs. Netherlands.
9 "Historical Trends in Immigration and Emigration." Focus-Migration: The Netherlands. Accessed April
25, 2016. http://focus-migration.hwwi.de/The-Netherlands.2644.0.html?L=1.

Zimmerman 8
approximately over 500 Belgians that have left the country to fight alongside the jihadis in Syria
and Iraq and half of them have returned home. With the return of these fighters brings a domestic
danger to the people of Belgium and a hub or connection to terrorists overseas. On the other
hand, the Netherlands has contained their number of foreign fighters to fewer than 200, with only
35 known returners.10 The Netherlands continues to be strict on their return rates and attempts to
address immigration in a way that allows for people to feel politically represented and equal in
society. They also continue to track these numbers the best they can and make sure these
numbers decrease annually versus rise. Writers of RNW Media have gone so far as to say, From
now on, the threat of a terrorist attack on Dutch soil is only limited. The Netherlands is rarely
being mentioned in video threats issues by jihadist groups.11 According to the Dutch Intelligence
Agency (AIVD) networks of extremist Muslims such as the Hofstad have slowly weakened and
become much less dangerous mainly due to internal division and leadership issues within the
extremist group.
Politicians and political activists have realized what measures are necessary to protect
their people during this dangerous time of terrorist threat in Europe. In Home- Grown Terrorism:
Understanding and Addressing the Root Causes of Radicalisation Among Groups with an
Immigrant Heritage in Europe, authors Thomas M. Pick, Anne Speckhard, and Beatrice Jacuch
attempt to better explain why distinct areas of Europe are hit by terrorism and how countries
have responded or attempted to blockade this violence. As mentioned before, the police force in
Belgium has been extremely inadequate in both planning for and addressing terrorist threat and
jihadi movement within the country and capital. Pick, Speckhard and Jacuch describe the
10 Bunnik, Anno, and Thomas De Zoete. "The Gloves Come Off: The Dutch Response to Jihadists in
Syria and Iraq." The Jamestown Foundation. September 17, 2015. Accessed April 25, 2016.
http://www.jamestown.org/programs/tm/single/?tx_ttnews[tt_news]=44383.
11 "Terrorists Have Had It with the Netherlands." RNW Media. Accessed April 25, 2016.
https://www.rnw.org/archive/terrorists-have-had-it-netherlands.

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quarterly threat assessment that the intelligence agencies and police force in the Netherlands take
in order to highlight terrorist threat levels and probability of jihadi attack. They have recently
written, The Dutch local jihadi networks have kept quiet for some time and activities are largely
focused on situations abroad. During the last reporting period no travel movements of Dutch
jihadis to training camps abroad have been noticed.12 Keeping close watch of this activity and
jihadi movement throughout the Netherlands is vital for safety reasons and to be further prepared
for threat in the future. The police force, compared to Belgiums has more adequately responded
to jihadi following and terrorist movement in the area.
Pick, Speckhard, and Jacuch also explain the importance of immigration integration as
explained previously. It is exceedingly important for the youth population of a country to
integrate in order to further promote peace. Pick writes about the Netherlands system and the
Dutch approach being a bit broad while taking note of variables like immigration and refugees
that further can aid to terrorism. Further segregation has to be prevented and more efforts
should be made to integrate the non-indigenous population groups. More attractive alternatives
should be provided to youths so that they no longer have to choose between crime or
jihadism.IBID The institutions of the Netherlands have dually noted that this best happens when
Muslim organizations and leaders are actively involved in both government and tackling these
existing problems alongside Dutch authorities. This institutional analysis proves that the systems
of the Netherlands understand how important it is that immigration assimilation goes smoothly
and that Muslim minorities feel satisfied with the political spectrum of the Netherlands. To
further create a culture where minorities and immigrants are no longer marginalized, intelligence
12 Pick, Thomas M., Anne Speckhard, and Beatrice Jacuch. Home-grown Terrorism: Understanding and
Addressing the Root Causes of Radicalisation among Groups with an Immigrant Heritage in Europe.
Amsterdam: IOS Press, 2009. Pg. 36.
IBIDIBID Pick, Thomas M., Anne Speckhard, and Beatrice Jacuch. Home-grown Terrorism. Pg. 47.

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and law enforcement agencies have been active in identifying problems throughout major cities
and addressing them accordingly.
For example, the Netherlands has in place a prohibition of discrimination and prides
themselves in their movements towards acceptance and diversity. Human Rights Law prohibits
both discrimination and unequal treatment on the grounds of nationality, race, or ethnicity. The
Netherlands is a party to treaties dealing with these human rights and equal treatment to all: The
European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (ICCPR), and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Racial Discrimination (ICERD).13 The government takes these acts and treaties into account
when formulating domestic law that better protects immigrants and allows for their smooth
integration into society, especially amongst the youth population.

13 Human Rights Watch. The Netherlands: Discrimination in the Name of Integration Migrants Rights
under the Integration Abroad Act. Report no. 1. Pg. 24.

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In the figure above, provided by the Global Terrorism Index, it is concluded that the number of
countries facing terrorism only continues to rise. With that, the number of terrorist attacks rises
as well as number of deaths. Terrorism is a serious international issue and during a time of
conflict in Syria and refugee crisis, Western European countries face a difficult dilemma of
creating both a safe haven for international refugees as well as a safe home for domestic citizens.
Both Belgium and the Netherlands have experienced different realms of terrorism in recent news
and have addressed growth of domestic jihadi movement in distinctively different ways. Figuring
out these horrific acts of covert violence and their stem is a difficult task, but throughout this
research it is better understood why some Western European countries are facing higher threat
levels. Through my research and the case examples of Belgium and the Netherlands, I conclude
that states with poor immigration assimilation systems, large Muslim marginalized populations,
and inadequate terrorist movement response by law enforcement agencies are furthermore hit
harder by terrorism in the Western European region.

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Works Cited
Bunnik, Anno, and Thomas De Zoete. "The Gloves Come Off: The Dutch Response to Jihadists in Syria
and Iraq." The Jamestown Foundation. September 17, 2015. Accessed April 25, 2016.
http://www.jamestown.org/programs/tm/single/?tx_ttnews[tt_news]=44383.
CIA Factbook. "Belgium vs. Netherlands." - Country Comparison. Accessed April 25, 2016.
http://www.indexmundi.com/factbook/compare/belgium.netherlands.
Clerix, Kristof. "Why Are Terrorists Drawn to Belgium? | Kristof Clerix." The Guardian. November 17,
2015. Accessed April 25, 2016.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/17/terrorists-belgium-paris-attacks.
Emmott, Robin. "Belgium's Marginalized Muslims Fight in Syria out of Despair." Reuters. January 15,
2015. Accessed April 25, 2016. http://www.reuters.com/article/belgium-security-fightersidUSL6N0UU58K20150115.
"Historical Trends in Immigration and Emigration." Focus-Migration: The Netherlands. Accessed April
25, 2016. http://focus-migration.hwwi.de/The-Netherlands.2644.0.html?L=1.
Human Rights Watch. The Netherlands: Discrimination in the Name of Integration Migrants Rights
under the Integration Abroad Act. Report no. 1. Pg. 24.
Institute for Economics and Peace. Global Terrorism Index. Report. 2015.
Neumann, Peter. "ICSR Analysis on Brussels Attack / ICSR." ICSR. March 24, 2016. Accessed April 25,
2016. http://icsr.info/2016/03/icsr-analysis-brussels-attack/.
Pick, Thomas M., Anne Speckhard, and Beatrice Jacuch. Home-grown Terrorism: Understanding and
Addressing the Root Causes of Radicalisation among Groups with an Immigrant Heritage in
Europe. Amsterdam: IOS Press, 2009. Pg. 36.
Sanchez, Ray. "Why Belgium? Five Reasons." CNN. March 26, 2016. Accessed April 25, 2016.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/24/europe/belgium-why-terrorists-struck/.
Shannon, Victoria. "Brussels Attacks: What We Know and Dont Know." The New York Times. 2016.
Accessed April 25, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/23/world/europe/brussels-attackswhat-we-know-and-dont-know.html?_r=0.
"Terrorists Have Had It with the Netherlands." RNW Media. Accessed April 25, 2016.
https://www.rnw.org/archive/terrorists-have-had-it-netherlands.