Fostering Community-Based Resilience in Zones of Exclusion: Irregular Migration and National Security at the Forefront of Global Protection Against Human-Induced Terrorist Disasters

ABSTRACT

Irregular migration of people has increased drastically around the globe due to civil unrest, economic instability, genocide, and a host of other reasons. When irregular migration and radical jihadi/terrorist infiltration of refugee streams and communities occurs, a host of security concerns manifest as local communities undergo dramatic transformations. The large influx of refugees in existing European communities in the context of the European refugee humanitarian crisis of 2015–2016 serves to destabilize existing migrant communities in destination countries such as France and Belgium. This article bridges the gap in the current understanding of security threats posed by (a) foreign radicalized individuals and groups that intermingle and become part of refugee flows, and (b) along with homegrown terrorists (or returning radicalized individuals) who reside in well-established exclusionary zones in parts of cities throughout Europe to facilitate such incidents as the Charlie Hebdo, Paris terror attacks, and terror attacks on Brussels. Finally, this article provides the foundation of a conceptual framework for promoting community-based resilience to enhance protection from human-induced terrorist disasters that can help resist radicalization and increase safety in a borderless society following human-induced terror disasters.

KEYWORDS:

• Terrorist threats
• disasters
• critical incidents
• resilience
• public safety
• migration flows