REUTERS/Andry Prasetyo
Terrorist attacks in 2009 fell slightly, a trend which seems to be continuing into 2010. However, the sources of terrorists and location of successful attacks is shifting, both causing new challenges for national counter-terrorism policies and highlighting the weaknesses of international cooperation. Actual and attempted attacks are increasingly carried out by 'home-grown' terrorists, incited from and often trained in safe havens. While attacks will continue, the likelihood of successful mass-casualty attacks in the West is thus declining. However, there is evidence of a growing security gap, with Western security efforts simply displacing part of the threat to weaker, poorer countries.
