أبحاث قانونية وسياسية
Volume 10, Numéro 2, Pages 1001-1018
2025-12-30

French Counter-terrorism Post-2015 Paris Attacks: Between The Imperatives Of Internal Security And The Necessity Of External Cooperation

Authors : Touazi Ilas .

Abstract

Even though terrorism has always existed throughout French history, the Charlie Hebdo murders in January 2015 and the terrorist attacks of 13 November in Paris marked a turning point in the trans-nationalisation and hybridization of the existential terrorist threat, with France becoming the new target of globalised terrorism, particularly Al-Qaeda and Islamic State. The study aims, through “causal process tracing” (CPT) methodology, on the one hand, to explore the multidimensional impact of these terrorist attacks and their ongoing effect on the collective memory of French society. On the other hand, it attempts to review major changes in domestic policy on counter-terrorism governance, including the development of exceptional measures and new institutional structures, as well as international anti-terrorism cooperation. Therefore, France's counter-terrorism strategy should prioritise addressing the core causes of terrorism rather than relying solely on securitisation and militarisation.

Keywords

Anti-terrorism cooperation ; Counter-terrorism ; Domestic security ; External security ; France ; Paris terrorist attacks of 2015