Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism

[podnoi]

"The basis of Dying to Win is Pape's study of the 315 known suicide terrorist attacks that occurred in the world between 1980 and 2003, attacks carried out by Muslims, Tamils, Sikhs, and Kurds. Pape concludes that "the data show there is little connection between suicide terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism, or any of the world's religions."

"Rather, what nearly all suicide terrorist attacks have in common is a specific secular and strategic goal: to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from the territory that the terrorists consider to be their homeland. Religion is rarely the root cause, although it is often used as a tool by terrorist organizations in recruiting and in other efforts in service of the broader strategic objective."

http://www.antiwar.com/scheuer/?articleid=6286


This is an excellent article on what is driving terrorists. That Middle eastern cultures percieve their life and culture at risk. One thing it does not go into is the "silent

[podnoi]

1. Also the silent Islamic cultural attempt at expansion and

I have lived outside of the US and also seen the other side of this dymamic, that Muslim sects are actively recruiting and expanding into secular societies they percieve as having "belonged" to them at one time or another in history. There is an active expansion of "x-pats" from middle eastern societies to form communities in other countries. Then once they develop a power structure they lay "claim" to the country, and a struggle begins there.

I just wanted to add to the above, since it is not covered, that Muslim culture is also on an attempt at "empire" of it's own. And this must be recognised and dealt with as well.

The problems we have with the "terrorist struggle" are very complex. These cultures are indeed also stoking the fires, but we have to have wiser responses.

[TahitiNut]

7. Poppycock, projection, and propaganda.

The steady drumbeat of "they hate us for our freedoms" and "better there than here" is accompaniment to the political projection of the base exploitative motives of global corporatists and U.S. hegemonists.

It's the US that has military forces embedded in over 100 other countries on the globe! It's the PNAC right that has an insatiable appetite for domination and exploitation!

"Terrorism" is a defensive political strategy being employed by people who see themselves being exploited by global oligarchs, often with the complicity of a corrupt "ruling class" in their own countries. That there are many such nations and peoples scattered worldwide who're forming political alliances of the 'colonized' is hardly surprising.

The vast majority are no more attempting "empire" (sheer projection!) than an international labor movement or international human rights movement. I can be appalled at their tactics without dismissing the legitimacy of the root causes.

[eleny]

11. Almost sounds like you're describing Christian Fundamentalists in the USA

[The Magistrate]

2. The Work Is An Excellent One, Sir

The article misplaces the emphasis somewhat, though.

That a religion is not inherently conducive to such acts, but is simply used as a tool in motivating and recruiting towards what is really a secular end, should not be taken as a claim that religion is of little or no importance in such matters. Those two things alone are of profoud importance in guerrilla activity, and the matter becomes more complicated when a religious and cultural system blends sacred and secular concepts of authority and territorial integrity. It is indeed proper enough, as a matter of taxonomy, to class driving out an invader as a secular objective, but where it is urged as a religious duty by those actually engaged in the business, it is hard to avoid concluding they view it as a sacred objective, and my inclination is always to take the men with guns in their hands at their word concerning why they have taken up arms....

[Igel]

3. I read the thing in the NYT today.

"Rather, what nearly all suicide terrorist attacks have in common is a specific secular and strategic goal: to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from the territory that the terrorists consider to be their homeland. Religion is rarely the root cause, although it is often used as a tool by terrorist organizations in recruiting and in other efforts in service of the broader strategic objective."

I found the first sentence to be mostly accurate; the second to be less so. Because the "homeland", for many, is defined precisely in terms of religion. Pape's come up with a self-serving definition to support his hypothesis, not exactly an uncommon practice in the "soft sciences"; it fits, but it's a false distinction for many, possibly a majority, of the bombers.

[mike_c]

4. yep-- that's a great article-- kicking this for those who haven't...

...seen it yet. :kick:

[acmavm]

5. 'Empire' is at the bottom of all political movements, from the Islamic

awakening to the EU to the American incursion into the Middle East.

This is nothing new, just the same old same old from the human race which consists of diverse groups of people who all have the feeling that they are destined, or ordained if you will, to determine the lives, thoughts, feelings, ideas, economics, freedoms and liberties (or lack of) of people that they perceive themselves to be better than.

[TomClash]

6. Wait! Didn't you get the memo?

The Eretz Israel/American Neo-con Big Brother cadre has forbidden all dissent on this issue. Suicide bombers are insane religious fanatics. Period. You are not allowed to think otherwise.

[geek tragedy]

8. How does that explain Moroccans and European Muslims who

become jihadis?

[podnoi]

9. Connections

They identify still with their home culture. Like the guy they arrested in Oregon who went off to Afganistan to fight.

[geek tragedy]

10. So it is religious/theocratic sentiment then.

Morocco is not occupied by foreign troops. Indonesia is not occupied by US troops. Neither is Thailand. Neither was Afghanistan or Pakistan prior to 911.

Again, one must think it the world's greatest coincidence of all time that these terrorists are (to a very high degree) Islamist extremists.