Terrorism poses unique challenges to democracies and democratic leaders alike. The question is: How should democratic societies respond to terrorist attacks? Is there such a thing as a uniquely democratic response to a terrorist incident? The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung has commissioned four case studies on countries that have experienced severe terror attacks in recent years: Belgium, France, Norway and Israel. These case studies analyse how democratic governments and societies have responded to terrorist attacks – be it by external aggressors or homegrown perpetrators.