Jihadist Terrorism as a Counter-Power: Explication in the Logic of Manuel Castells' Communication Network Concept

Taking into account the risk potential and the destructiveness of terrorism, as well as the factor of its progressive development, the task of an intellectual reflection on enhancing knowledge about the phenomenon acquires scientific significance. The issue is especially relevant for terrorism of a jihadist type, demonstrating a transition from a regime of dispersed local and sporadically manifested cases of dictate of will to a level of permanent geopolitical influence. The aim of the article is to verify the hypothesis of the possibility of explication of jihadist terrorism as a counter-power. The methodological guideline for the study was the provisions of Manuel Castells's communication network concept resonating with the network and digital dynamics of the present. To substantiate the assumptions and conclusions, the author of the article appeals to sources of information concerning the most important aspects of terrorism: reports and accounts of the UN, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, analytical data of foreign and Russian expert communities, research centers and institutions, and media materials. Valuable material was also received from research articles on the topics under study. The article includes several logically interconnected parts. At the beginning of the text, the need for the evolution of a heuristic that works to reinforce the existing theoretical ideas about the object of study is problematized. Attention is focused on Castells's views relevant in terms of their applicability to the present analysis. Further, the essential manifestations of jihadist terrorism are indicated that show that this type of terrorism acquired the status of a counter-power. Based on the factual material, the idea is proved that the terrorist community is building a meta-capital and becoming a political counteragent that influences the global and regional processes, forms networks and acts as a trans-communicative center for radical consolidation and integration. By organically complementing the tactics of direct violence with discourse practices, terrorists reprogram the consciousness of recipients, which determines the multiplication of the nongovernmental component in different societies. Finally, a conclusion is drawn on the transformation of jihadist terrorism toward asserting itself as a force challenging the dominance of the institutionally organized order.

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