2012 Global Terrorism Index

The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) has released their newest report entitled "2012 Global Terrorism Index" (GTI). This report "is a comprehensive body of work which systematically ranks the nations of the world according to their terrorist activity" over the past ten years.

The official definition of terrorism used by the GTI is "the threatened or actual use of illegal force and violence by a non-state actor to attain a political, economic, religious, or social goal through fear, coercion, or intimidation." While the authors recognize that defining terrorism is a controversial subject, this definition was utilized to ensure consistency in data gathering.

Overall, the report found that global terrorism has been "plateauing rather than decreasing" after it experienced a significant spike from 2002-2007 and then fell to 2006 levels in 2011. While these rates are lower than they have been in the last few years, the authors warn that "the deteriorating situation in Syria and other future possible conflicts in the Middle East could reverse the situation."

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