'We are safer now than 30 years ago,' says leading terrorism expert
Professor Louise Richardson believes the French response to the Paris attacks with the language of warfare has helped terrorists “spread fear and terror”
The world is a safer place than 30 years ago as people are more likely to be struck by lightning than a terrorist bullet, a terrorism expert has said.
"If you asked people, they would tell you that they are more frightened than they have been in the past. They feel more at risk now."
The newly-appointed vice-chancellor at the University of Oxford, Professor Louise Richardson, believes the French response to the Paris attacks with the language of warfare has helped terrorists “spread fear and terror”.
Instead, she thinks this threat has been exaggerated despite the recent atrocities in Jakarta and elsewhere that have left hundreds either dead or injured.
“But if you look at reality, 20, 30 years ago, we had ? the threat of nuclear war between the Eastern block and Nato [and it] has dramatically reduced."
“People feel more fearful [but] I think there is less grounds for that. I absolutely understand the fear. It's because when there is an atrocity in Jakarta or in Paris, we can see it and we feel close to it.
"Part of the genius of terrorism is for the psychological impact to be greater than the actual physical act. So if an attack is random - like the attack in Jakarta or Paris - if nobody is targeted, then nobody is safe. So it spreads the fear and terror.
“So I think people feel less safe, but I think people are actually a lot safer than they feel.”
Asked of the threat of being hit by a terrorist bullet, she said the odds are more likely to be hit by lighting sitting at a cafe in London”.
'We are safer now than 30 years ago,' says leading terrorism expert - Telegraph
Professor Louise Richardson believes the French response to the Paris attacks with the language of warfare has helped terrorists “spread fear and terror”
The world is a safer place than 30 years ago as people are more likely to be struck by lightning than a terrorist bullet, a terrorism expert has said.
"If you asked people, they would tell you that they are more frightened than they have been in the past. They feel more at risk now."
The newly-appointed vice-chancellor at the University of Oxford, Professor Louise Richardson, believes the French response to the Paris attacks with the language of warfare has helped terrorists “spread fear and terror”.
Instead, she thinks this threat has been exaggerated despite the recent atrocities in Jakarta and elsewhere that have left hundreds either dead or injured.
“But if you look at reality, 20, 30 years ago, we had ? the threat of nuclear war between the Eastern block and Nato [and it] has dramatically reduced."
“People feel more fearful [but] I think there is less grounds for that. I absolutely understand the fear. It's because when there is an atrocity in Jakarta or in Paris, we can see it and we feel close to it.
"Part of the genius of terrorism is for the psychological impact to be greater than the actual physical act. So if an attack is random - like the attack in Jakarta or Paris - if nobody is targeted, then nobody is safe. So it spreads the fear and terror.
“So I think people feel less safe, but I think people are actually a lot safer than they feel.”
Asked of the threat of being hit by a terrorist bullet, she said the odds are more likely to be hit by lighting sitting at a cafe in London”.
'We are safer now than 30 years ago,' says leading terrorism expert - Telegraph
