Resources 1
Resources on Suicide Terrorism
Sky Walker
Composition II
Cecelia Munzenmaier
Hamilton College
October 30, 2005
Resources 2
Resources on Suicide Terrorism
Altman, N. (2005, March-April). On the psychology of suicide bombing. Tikkun, (20)2. Retrieved October 23, 2005, from Academic Search Elite database.
Altman, a psychology professor at New York University, believes that the roots of suicide bombing lie in the psychology of shame. Suicide bombers try to break a cycle of humiliation by striking back at those who shamed them. Their sacrifice sends the message that their enemies are responsible for their shame and ultimately for their death.
Altman’s explanation is persuasive and he supports his theory with quotations from militants. The idea that suicide bombers are motivated by shame adds an important element to the debate.
Atran, S. (2005). The genesis and future of suicide terrorism. Retrieved October 23, 2005, from the Interdisciplines Web site:
Most people believe that suicide terrorists are poor, uneducated, and consumed by hopelessness. Atran refutes that stereotype. He finds suicide bombers to be ordinary people who have been turned into human bombs by terrorist groups.
Atran is recognized as an expert on terrorism. He cites several studies to support his view. The article is valuable both for the statistics he provides and for his analysis of the psychology of terrorism.
Cronin, A. K. (2003, August 28). Terrorists and suicide attacks. CRS Report RL32058. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service. Retrieved October 24, 2005, from Federation of American Scientists Web site:
This report on terrorism, prepared for Congress by the CIA, provides background needed to understand the roots of terrorism in the Middle East. The summary of various theories about the causes of terrorism is especially valuable.
Jaber, H. (2002, March 24). Inside the world of the Palestinian suicide bomber. Retrieved October 24, 2005, from
Pathology_of_the_Homicide_Bomber.asp
Lebanese reporter Hala Jaber spent four days with a cell of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade as two men prepared to become suicide bombers. Jaber describes their motivations in their own words. As Jaber notes, the men’s justification for their attacks is “chilling,” Their rationale supports the idea that suicide bombers seek to avenge humiliation by an enemy.
Pape, R. A. (2003, August). The strategic logic of suicide terrorism. American Political Science Review, 97 [electronic version]. Retrieved October 29, 2005, from Department of Communication, Cornell University, Web Site: the%20logic%20of%20suicide%20terrorism.pdf
After reviewing the history of suicide attacks, Pape concluded that they are most often a response to an invading army that cannot be overcome by conventional tactics. He argues that terrorists use suicide tactics because they work, supporting his argument with several examples of concessions that terrorists have won.
An associate professor at the University of Chicago, Pape has compiled the world’s largest database on suicide attacks. He is a leading proponent of the view that the United States is a target of terror as long as it occupies Iraq.
Volkan, V. D. (n.d.) Suicide bombers. Retrieved October 20, 2005, from
Dr. Vamik Volkan, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Virginia Medical School, believes that suicide bombers appear normal. However, they have allowed their individual values and beliefs to be replaced by those of a terrorist group. He describes how bombers are recruited and indoctrinated.
His experience working with Palestinians orphans gives Dr. Volkan a unique perspective on suicide bombers. His description of the dynamics of terrorist groups is plausible and offers another possible explanation of bombers’ motives.