Methodology of terrorist activity research. Part 2: cognitive tools

Introduction. The article is a logical continuation of the publication “Terrorism Research Methodology. Part 1: Research Fundamentals”. The article is devoted to the description of specific methodological tools of terrorist activity research. On account of the complexity of terrorist activity, the increasing complexity in the dynamics of social development, the diversity of types and forms of terrorism in modern transitional society, it is necessary to apply effective approaches to research. Methods. The methodological basis of the research was formed by the fundamental bases and postulates of philosophical methodology: universal categories, principles and regularities of dialectical and activity approaches, general scientific methodology of system approach, as well as a set of general logical methods of cognition. Results. The author substantiates that the dialectical method makes it possible to study the contradictory nature of terrorism, manifested in the dynamics of terrorist activity in the context of socio-historical development. The understanding of the complexity, diversity of types and forms, technological nature of terrorist activity as a modern socio-legal phenomenon, its place and role in the dynamics of social development of modern transitional society, as well as the need for systemic counteraction to it determines the requirement for applying a systemic approach. The use of the methodology of the interval approach provides a comprehensive study of the terrorist activity and its manifestations in various aspects and dimensions, the synthesis of knowledge of each of them helps to obtain an interval model of terrorist activity. Application of the activity approach reveals terrorist activity as criminal behaviour implemented on a systematic basis, including precriminal and post-criminal actions from a standpoint of committing a terrorist act.