Even so, it is worth pondering what mechanisms in the Islamic culture or psyche help enable this most destructive phenomenon.
Nancy Kobrin's bold new book (The Banality of Suicide Terrorism: The Naked Truth About the Psychology of Islamic Suicide Bombing
) investigates that problem, as reviewed in "Islamic Suicide Terrorism & the Stockholm Syndrome Writ Large" by Jerry Gordon in the New English Review.
1 comment:
The real question is why do some groups resort to suicide terrorist tactics, while other do not? Suicide terrorism seems to be an Islamic phenomena, but it also exists with Hindus in Sri Lanka. On the one hand, it would seem to be linked to a state of 'occupation' - e.g. Palestinians, Chechens, and Tamil Tigers, but not always, note that the Tibetans who have endured a far more despondent fate than any of the above have not resorted to these tactics. And then if you take Al Qaeda, there is no occupation whatsoever to speak of - apart from that of Iraq, which was brought about their actions in the first place.
The truth is, I don't think we know what the ultimate causes, or even the proximate causes, of suicide terrorism are. Unfortunately, we are going to have to deal with it regardless.
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