We have witnessed an increasing number of violent incidents in Europe recently. Western policymakers must respond decisively, and societies must unite to prevent destabilisation by adversaries.

Otherwise, terrorists and authoritarian regimes, including Russia, will prevail, warns Ihor Myslovsky, a media and terrorism researcher, and an analyst of Internews Ukraine. He suggesting measures to counter this in his column Spiral of Terrorism: How Violence Can Destabilise the West and Assist Russia.

The author notes that, for modern terrorism, it is not just about the number of victims but the number of those who see the violence through the media. The goal of terrorists is to terrorise society with their attacks, spread fear, and escalate panic through random acts of violence, pushing citizens to demand action from the authorities to stop the perpetrators of violence.

"Unfortunately, democracies are less resilient to terrorism than authoritarian forms of government," says Ihor Myslovsky.

He adds that contemporary terrorism relies on publicity generously provided by Western media outlets. According to the expert, massive information flows about terrorist attacks keep Western societies in a constant state of tension and fear.

"American researcher Bridget Nacos calculated that in the first months after the 9/11 attacks, American media quoted US President George Bush no more than Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. This is certainly not the balance that journalists should keep," Myslovsky writes.

However, the problem lies not only in the glorification of terrorists and their ideologies, but also in the so-called "copycat effect." This refers to the fact that the media's coverage of terrorism fosters the emergence of new acts of terrorism.

Two recent terrorist attacks in France and Belgium have become concerning. The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has already stirred discontent among certain groups in Europe. For those who previously entertained extremist ideas, these attacks could serve as an example and a signal to take action.

Ihor Myslovsky points out that terrorists often manipulate religious and national sentiments, focusing on issues related to migrants and refugees. They exploit socio-economic disparities. However, underneath this facade often lie political or even geopolitical interests.

"Terrorism can become an effective hybrid method for destabilising Europe. And Russia could exploit the situation," warns the media and terrorism researcher.

He emphasisees that terrorism cannot thrive without publicity, which is why the media play a key role in countering it.

"The media should not simply report random terrorist attacks but rather explain the motives behind these crimes and who stands to gain from such violence. Societies that have a clear understanding of who terrorists are and have a sense of solidarity usually handle acts of terror much better than societies that are shocked by these events and do not talk about the terrorists," concludes the expert.