Channels, Fall 2017

Page 95 Channels • 2017 • Volume 2 • Number 1 suffered are more closely related to its own internal policies and disputes, such as its ongoing conflict with Kurdish militant groups. It is also possible that its attacks are linked to its close proximity to terror-prone countries. Analysis of Results As predicted in our hypothesis, the data demonstrates that increased terrorism is linked to increased migration from terror-prone nations and regions. This connection is most clearly demonstrated in the data from Germany and Turkey, both of which display a strong positive correlation between asylum-seeker migration and incidents of terrorism. The terrorism-immigration link in Germany is exceptionally strong, likely because of its open- border policy during the refugee crisis of 2015, its status as a desirable location for migrants due to its financial success, and its geographical proximity to terror-producing nations. The data from Turkey, on the other hand, has a weaker correlation between immigration and terrorism and a smaller portion of migrants from terror-prone nations than Germany. This finding likely indicates that Turkey’s terrorism is only partially caused by immigration. The literature on this subject lends credence to the conclusion that terrorism in Turkey is at least partially influenced by its geographic proximity to terror-producing nations through the effects of spatial diffusion 40 as well as the ongoing conflict in neighboring Iraq and Syria. In fact, our hypothesis that immigration from terror-prone nations leads to terrorism in the receiving country is based on the assumption that migrant flows perform essentially the same function as a spatial link —or bridge— between nations. Where a physical, geographic link already exists, it is fair to conclude that the diffusion of terrorist 40 Ibid, 573.