Description
In the last decade, the main terrorist threat in Spain has changed from an ethnonationalist one, represented by ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, 1958-2018), to one inspired by violent jihad. This variation has also produced a transformation in the Spanish counterterrorist discourses, policies, and practices. This article aims to analyse these changes and especially those condensed in the 2019 National Strategy Against Terrorism. The perception of the threat expressed in this Strategy and the description of its typology and possible scenarios in which this threat could materialize shape the Spanish counterterrorism policies and practices. This puts Spanish’s situation on par with that of neighbouring European countries and has accordingly modified its counterterrorist practices and policies (strategies, laws, parliamentary debates, institutional speeches, etc.). The Spanish case is exceptional given the experience of the institutions in dealing with terrorism for decades. This shows how a country, despite decades of experience, has to adapt its counterterrorist actions in the face of a new threat that is no longer national but international. This generates important and structural changes such as the appearance of the problem of radicalization, greater coordination with international counterterrorist actors, or the increase in the importance of the internet and the narratives that can be produced there.
