The roots of terrorism

Terrorism

In the book Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism, Robert Pape argues that that the main motivator for suicide terrorism in particular is nationalism. Politically disenfranchised groups use suicide terrorism to target large democratic state entities in order to secure territory and gain international recognition. However, to boil down terrorism to a singular cause like nationalism would be grossly and dangerously oversimplifying the phenomenon. After all, eco-terrorism is one example of a type of terrorism that is clearly not linked to a nationalistic cause. Terrorism is a strategy and quasi-military tactic used by individuals and groups to draw attention to a specific message or set of messages. In many -- if not most -- cases, nationalism is a major terrorist message. As with eco-terrorism, nationalism itself is not the issue. The issue is power and control over resources. Terrorist groups of all types use violent tactics in order to rebel against perceived political, economic, and social authorities much in the way a child will act out against parents. Therefore, the motivator that has the greatest impact on terrorism throughout history is primarily political.

Evidence suggests that terrorism is historically motivated by political reasons. Crenshaw (1981) found that terrorism historically occurs "both in the context of violent resistence to the state as well as in the service of state interests," because terrorism "communicates a political message," (p. 379). The political message is far more relevant than economic or religious ideology, either of which would be subsumed by political factors. Pape (2006) cites details from separatist movements ranging from Palestinians to the Tamil Tigers to show that political motives trump other issues like religion and culture when determining the cause of terrorist activity. Likewise, Richardson (2013) notes that subjugated groups are prone to using terrorism as a sort of last resort in the struggle for rights, recognition, or freedom. When a struggle for independence or territory is long and drawn-out, then terrorism because ever more likely, because the disenfranchised group perceives no other option but to use violence (Richardson, 2013). When religion is used to justify terrorism, as in the case of jihad movements, religion is not the primary motivating factor; politics are. The goal is to achieve change in a political ideology within a nation, or to separate from a nation according to the perceived right to self-determination.

Given that politics is the primary cause of terrorism historically and currently, the solution to terrorism should be political as well. The adage that strong politicians do not negotiate with terrorists needs to be thoroughly re-evaluated in some cases, for it may be necessary to examine political policies that could be causing perceived social injustice. In other cases, as with Taliban terrorists, negotiation may not be an effective strategy, in which case continued military action and concerted military strategy might be among the best tactics. Ultimately, it would be helpful to prevent terrorism before it erupts by listening and responding to politically disenfranchised groups before the conflict becomes too long and drawn out.

Some types of terrorism occur not by nebulous non-state actors such as Al Qaeda but by officially recognized state powers. When governments commit acts of terror, the word terrorism is sometimes not even used because legitimacy is inferred. However, in the case with Syria, the government can easily be referred to as a terrorist organization even if it operates officially. Because terrorism is always political, it does not matter whether or not the state or a non-state organization perpetrates the terrorist acts. The responses to terrorism will always be similarly structured, targeting the root causes and preventing violent outbreaks in the future.

A comprehensive anti-terrorist strategy must also address the concern that terrorism may spread, via the contagion of a political ideology. Al Qaeda is a perfect example of how the ideology of Muslim liberation from Western state actors appeals to a wide geographic and cultural base from the Middle East to Southeast Asia (Pape, 2006). Responses to political terrorism need to be tailored to the situation. Thus, some types of terrorism may be met with an evaluation of the living conditions and political grievances of the people (as with Palestinians or Tamils, for example) with according diplomatic and strategic political responses that may never need to resort to military action. Other types of terrorism have an irrational foundation, such as that promoted by Al Qaeda and the Taliban. In those cases, military tactics are unfortunately necessary in the ongoing vigilance against global violence. Impediments to a military course of action range from human rights concerns, concerns over global hegemony via the large democratic states terrorists act against, and rising death tolls (Pape, 2006). Likewise, there are impediments to using diplomacy, including the relatively weak leadership of many terrorist organizations and the cacophony of voices on the international arena, leading to differential counterterrorism objectives.