Root Causes of Terrorism Myths, Reality and Ways Forward

This team of international experts analyses the possibilities and limitations of preventing or reducing terrorism by addressing the factors that give rise to it and sustain it. The key questions raised include: * what are the main circumstances that provide preconditions for the emergence of various types of terrorism? * what are the typical precipitants that trigger terrorist campaigns? * to what extent is it possible to reduce the problem of terrorism by influencing these causes and circumstances? * should we address those factors that sustain terrorist campaigns rather than root causes? This book is edited by Tore Bjørgo - Senior Research Fellow at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), Professor and Research Director at the Norwegian Police University College.

1. Introduction Tore Bjørgo 2. Exploring Roots of Terrorism Dipak K. Gupta 3. Impoverished Terrorists: Stereotype or Reality? Jitka Malecková 4. The Social and Psychological Characteristics of Terrorism and Terrorists John Horgan 5. When Hatred is Bred in the Bone: The Socio-Cultural Underpinnings of Terrorist Psychology Jerrold M. Post 6. Social, Organizational and Psychological Factors in Suicide Terrorism Ariel Merari 7. Palestinian Resistance and Suicide Bombing: Causes and Consequences Hisham H. Ahmed 8. Roots of Terrorism in the Middle East: International Pressures and International Constraints Abdullah Sahar Mohammad 9. Nationalist Separatism and Terrorism in Comparative Perspective Fernando Reinares 10. Root Causes of Terrorism? A Case Study of theTamil Insurgency and the LTTE D.R. Kaarthikeyan 11. Right-Wing Terrorism Wilhelm Heitmeyer 12. Social-Revolutionary Terrorism in Latin-America and Europe Peter Waldmann 13. The Use of Terrorism by Organized Crime: An Italian Case Study Alison Jamieson 14. Patterns of State Failure: The Case of Lebanon Farid el Khazen 15. State Sponsorship –A Root Cause of Terrorism? Louise Richardson 16. Expected Utility and State Terrorism Michael Stohl 17. A Conceptual Framework for Resolving Terrorism’s Cause Joshua Sinai 18. Prevention of Terrorism: Towards a Multi-Pronged Approach Alex P. Schmid 19. Fire of Iolaus: The Role of State Counter-Measure in Causing Terrorism and What Needs to be Done Andrew Silke 20. Conclusions Tore Bjørgo. Appendix: Notes on Contributors

Tore Bjørgo