Robert Pape at the U of Chicago has compiled a database on acts of suicide terrorism over the last 25 years, which is now being trumpeted around the media. (See the NPR story.) His most interesting result: the most common motivator for suicide terrorism is not religion, but an effort to get a modern democracy to withdraw troops from an ethnic homeland. In other words, we should have believed Osama when he said that his goal was to force US troops out of Saudi Arabia. It also means that sending more troops to Middle Eastern countries was exactly the wrong thing to do in response to 9-11.
I've been emphasizing the religious dimension of the current world war. It is good to remember that there are many other aspects. I was unable to find the primary source for Pape's report simply Googling around. Having bitched recently about academics who take their results directly to the media without subjecting them to peer review, I'm sorta obligated not to put too much weight on this result if it has come simply in the form of a press release. Still, I definitely want to hear more about this.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment