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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Terrorism and the Allegory of the Lone Wolf: From 9/11 to COVID-19

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The lone wolf is a personality type that symbolizes individualism and a deep yet sometimes dangerous quest for self-search. At its very extreme, this search turns out to become hatred for anything that these wolves cannot identify themselves with. In this regard, even some societies are lone wolves. We have lone wolf groups, communities, societies, and even nation-states. By analysis, terrorists carry certain traits of lone wolves, although not every lone wolf would be(come) a terrorist. Some rather grow into hermits and saints. Globalization, a central theme of this book, has a lot to do with the development of the lone wolf trait the way we see it now. Instead of flattening the world’s cultural geography, globalization made individuals and groups see the stark contrasts that they face vis-a-vis the others. Technology, particularly the internet, has created opportunities for lone wolves to find echo chambers that amplify their voices and provide opportunities to develop terror networks. However, lone wolves could use these technologies also to reform and redeem the world. There is only a thin line between these two ways by which the lone wolves express themselves. This chapter attempts to correlate the lone wolf archetype with terrorism and pandemics like COVID-19.