Studying terrorism through the lens of public actions: A pragmatic state-centered approach

In this article we argue that terrorism should no longer be studied as a phenomenon completely exogenous to modern societies, but rather as endogenous, that is, as a part and product of symbiotic dynamics linking terrorism to particular “socio-state configurations.” This thesis leads us to propose a new research program focused on the central question of what governments do or don’t do to combat the terrorism(s) that strike human societies governed by these same public authorities. In other words, this article discusses “public anti-terrorism action” (PATA) and its variants. We conclude with a singular approach to the study of terrorism, a “state-centered” approach that departs from research focused solely on terrorist actors or groups that have emphasized the notion of “radicalization” or the narrow realities of official counter-terrorism or state terrorism.