Publication

This brief reviews the incidence of attacks on national embassies, foreign nationals and UN establishments around the world. It notes that the number of attacks has risen over the decade 2000-2010, details specific cases and seeks to deduce trends. The authors conclude that violent backlashes, especially in and emanating from the Middle East, must be considered in a broader historical context and cannot be viewed simply as a post-September 11 phenomenon. To this end, the authors call on governments to better differentiate between actors, and argue that improved intelligence and security measures are needed.