This study departs from the hypothesis that terrorism has transformed into a cross-border phenomenon, placing traditional border management systems before multiple and evolving challenges that require continuous handling. By applying a comparative analytical methodology, the study diagnoses contemporary threat patterns such as border infiltration, financing through resource smuggling, and cyberterrorism. The study confirms that these risks rely on organizational gaps, as well as legislative and technical disparities between nations. The study has identified five central challenges that hinder effective confrontation, starting with the absence of a unified definition of terrorism, and extending to the developmental marginalization of border areas and a shortage of smart surveillance technology that balances security imperatives with human rights.
The study concludes that successful confrontation requires a comprehensive approach that goes beyond military deterrence to border governance. This is to be achieved through executable pathways that include updating laws to criminalize digital financing, investing in AI-powered smart borders, and activating a regional early-warning center. The recommendations emphasize the necessity of developmentally fortifying border communities to block the path to recruitment, considering that securing borders in Arab states is no longer merely a procedural control measure, but rather an integrated system that merges legislation, security, and development. This aims to ensure the transformation of border areas from points of vulnerability into fortified shields that achieve sustainable security.
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