9. In-Between Domestic Terrorism, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS, or How Russia Sees Prospects of Security Cooperation with the EU

How security cooperation is portrayed publicly indicates the message one actor wants its counterpart to receive. Public discourse following terrorist attacks, inter alia, constitutes a great resource for promoting a state’s agenda utilizing an emerged international attention. Looking at security cooperation discourse can reveal how states pursue their agendas by connecting them to the shared theme, and how their discourse evolves if perceptions of a common threat changes. This chapter examines official Russian discourse towards security cooperation with the European Union in fighting terrorism. It finds a continuous pattern of linking transnational terrorism threats by the Russian government to Russian domestic security matters and establishing Russia’s standing in opposing irregular actors through promoting domestic counterterrorism campaign.