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Suicide Terrorism

ISBN: 978-0-745-63383-1

December 2004

Polity

240 pages

Description
Suicide terrorism in its modern form made its first appearance in Lebanon in the early 1980s. Over the last quarter century, terrorist attacks perpetrated by suicide bombers have spread to many corners of the world and have become a major threat for both the governments and citizens of numerous countries. Can this devastating phenomenon be attributed to a specific religion or culture? What are the causes and motivations that lead ordinary people to embark upon suicide attacks? How are potential bombers trained for their mission? And is it possible for democratic governments to effectively cope with this challenge?


In this compelling book, Ami Pedazhur investigates the root causes of suicide terrorism and its rapid proliferation in recent years. Drawing on a variety of sources, the book explores the use of human bombs in Lebanon, Israel, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Chechnya, Iraq, and the ostentatious attacks of Al-Qaeda and the global jihad. It is the only book to offer such an in-depth, up-to-date, cross cultural analysis of suicide terrorism in the twenty-first Century.

About the Author
Ami Pedahzur is an associate professor at the University of Texas, Austin and a senior research fellow at the National Security Studies Center, University of Haifa, Israel
Features

  • Groundbreaking study of the growing but little-understood phenomenon of suicide terrorism.

  • Traces the emergence of suicide terrorism as a form of political action in wide range of contexts such as Palestine, Sri Lanka, America and Turkey.

  • Explores who becomes a suicide bomber and how these ‘martyrs’ are recruited and socialized by terrorist organizations.

  • Provides new statisical data about suicide bombings and includes original interview material with key figures from terrorist groups.