While in recent years suicide terrorism proved itself as one of the fastest growing threats to peace and security and a preferred weapon of choice of terrorists, there is a profound confusion as to why. Although suicide attacks have occurred during the course of history, they were often part of states’ military campaigns rather than the preferred modus operandi of violent non-state groups which during the period between 1982 and 2015 became responsible for 4,814 attacks in over 40 countries.
As recently illustrated by the atrocities in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet district, Morocco’s coastal city of Casablanca, and Cameroon’s far north village of Bodo, the problem of suicide terrorism is gaining momentum and the insufficient knowledge that we have about the root causes of the phenomenon made it extremely difficult for policymakers to design effective counter-terrorist measures and adequately allocate attention and resources.
Therefore, this study would try to shed light on this issue by arguing that suicide terrorism is motivated by the interaction between (1) psychologically traumatized individuals who are determined that death is the only salvation and desire to contribute to the fight against the injustice that generated their agony in the first place and (2) terrorist organizations which offer an outlet for these emotions and exploit personal emotional vulnerabilities in order to push through their political and/or religious ideological propaganda and advance their objectives. Nonetheless, what makes suicide terrorism resonant on both levels is arguably an enabling socio-political context which generates profound personal and communal grievances and provides suicide terrorism with a fertile ground to breed and expand.
To support its argument, this study will firstly put the topic in its empirical context and briefly emphasize on the nature of suicide terrorism. Consequently, it will critically evaluate what drives individuals and terrorist organizations to engage in suicide terrorism and specifically focus on their ‘explosive’ interaction. Finally, this study will make its conclusions and identify areas for further research.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- I. The Nature of Suicide Terror
- II. The Interaction between Individual and Organizational motivating factors
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This study seeks to explore the motivations behind suicide terrorism, arguing that it is driven by an intricate interplay between psychologically traumatized individuals and terrorist organizations. It aims to shed light on this phenomenon by analyzing both individual and organizational factors contributing to suicide terrorism.
- The nature of suicide terrorism and its historical context
- Psychological factors motivating individuals to engage in suicide terrorism
- The role of terrorist organizations in exploiting personal vulnerabilities and promoting their ideologies
- The impact of socio-political contexts on the development of suicide terrorism
- The importance of understanding the interaction between individual and organizational motivations
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- I. The Nature of Suicide Terror: This chapter provides a historical overview of suicide terrorism and explores its evolution, highlighting key instances throughout history. It discusses the difficulties surrounding the definition of suicide terrorism and examines various perspectives on its characteristics.
- II. The Interaction between Individual and Organizational motivating factors: This chapter delves into the complex motivations behind individual involvement in suicide terrorism, arguing that personal psychological trauma plays a crucial role. It examines the influence of factors such as despair, humiliation, and the desire for revenge on individuals' decision to engage in suicide attacks. Furthermore, it explores how terrorist organizations capitalize on these vulnerabilities and utilize them to advance their political and religious ideologies.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Suicide terrorism, motivation, psychological trauma, terrorist organizations, individual vulnerabilities, socio-political contexts, ideological propaganda, revenge, humiliation, despair, radicalization.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Mariya Grozdanova (Autor:in), 2016, What motivates suicide terrorism?, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/324117
