Interview: Terrorism to last for at least 10 years: British academic

Acts of terrorism and atrocities by the so-called Islamic State (IS) and similar groups are likely to continue for 10 years or even longer, British conflict specialist, Professor Neil Ferguson warned in an interview with Xinhua.

Ferguson is an expert on psychology of peace and conflict at Liverpool Hope University, and a renowned commentator on the troubles in Northern Ireland which saw terror groups waging war on the British mainland.

He said the might of western world powers will find the task of tackling terrorism - particularly with the growth of lone-wolf insurgents - extremely difficult.

With IS and its associate terror groups using social media to recruit and radicalize fighters from every continent, it has created a dilemma in finding ways of fighting back, according to Ferguson.

He believes nations, such as Britain, facing threats, should use education as a key weapon, to dissuade mainly younger people from joining terror groups in the first place.

With an estimated 600 Britons fighting in Syria, Ferguson believes disenchanted recruits returning home could be one of the key 'weapons' in the task, by using their first -hand knowledge of exactly what life entails as a terrorist or potential suicide bomber, demonstrating to 'wannabee' fighters that it is 'no picnic.'

"Terrorism in the 21st century is so diverse it is very difficult for any state to cope. Using suicide as a weapon of war has been around for a long time, occurring over several thousand years," he said.

"What has changed is the new use of social media which is used to recruit globally. People are attracted from as far away as Australia, Canada and from across Europe, some seeing the 'fight' as an adventure or a novelty," explained Ferguson.

"What makes everyday people, doing everyday jobs suddenly head to the Middle East to fight? We have to look at the psychology of adolescence and the development of young people, particularly young men, who may find such terror groups attractive. They see this as a sense of adventure," said the expert.

Ferguson said the cost of keeping all potential suspects under constant surveillance would be prohibitive for most countries.

"The idea the state can in some way make us 100 percent safe from terrorism is probably impossible," Ferguson concluded.

He said groups like IS revel in their barbarism as a way of putting fear into their opponents, and it is unlikely the terror group will, in the foreseeable future, be prepared to engage in dialogue.

"It is something that is going to be with us for a long time. In the current crisis I think we are looking at a decade or even longer, particularly if other states 'fail' in the next few years and provide a catalyst and safe space for terrorism or fundamentalism to grow," he said.

Ferguson, who has worked as a director of the Desmond Tutu Center for War and Peace, believes the western world was virtually caught napping, paving the way for IS to quickly grow, to become what it is today - a global problem.

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