11.2 Terrorism Theory

WHO? Terrorists.

WHAT? Don’t conform to any single profile.

WHEN? Terrorists come from all walks of life and societal backgrounds.

WHERE? Potential terrorists are indistinguishable from ordinary people.

WHY? There is no single root cause to terrorism.

What is it that makes people turn to terrorism? In the last topic, we learned that terrorism is a strategy adopted by the disaffected. We are all disaffected in some way. Nobody has it easy. But what is it that causes some to turn to violence to seek change? Perhaps if we could find a root cause we could eliminate terrorism? That’s why we want to examine terrorism theory. Theory is useful to guiding strategy and taking actions directed towards a specific goal. If we wish to eliminate terrorism, then an accurate theory can help guide us to this goal. Absent a theory, then we’re just groping in the dark. Unfortunately, when it comes to terrorism, there are many theories to its root cause. Be that as it may, the theories may be classified into two camps: 1) Societal, and 2) Psychological. Societal theories of terrorism attribute the root cause to cultural and historical trends. Psychological theories of terrorism attribute the root cause to individual motivations. So on the one hand, we have a set of theories that attribute terrorism to societal influences, and on the other hand we have a set of theories that attribute terrorism to an individual’s disposition. Let us take a look at some societal theories on the root causes of terrorism. One set of societal theories blames modernization. According to these theories, modernization disrupts the fabric of society, weakening the legitimacy of the state, ultimately promoting violence. Another set of societal theories blame inequality. An unequal distribution of resources can drive some to violence in order to gain a more equitable share. Another set of societal theories blame government. Terrorism, they say, is less likely in a representative democracy where people have a say in government. And yet another set of societal theories blame technology. They say people resort to terrorism because technology, such as mass media, make it an effective means of achieving change. Okay, so let us now take a look at some psychological theories on the root causes of terrorism. Psycho-Pathological theories blame underlying character flaws or deviant behavior that allow some to readily justify violent terrorist acts. Psycho-Sociological theories acknowledge that we are all subject to societal influence, but that some people are more sensitive than others, and that’s what drives them towards terrorism. Different psycho-sociological theories advance different societal influences as more likely than others to drive people towards terrorism. One subset of psycho-sociological theories says that sexual issues is the root cause of terrorism. Another subset of psycho-sociological theories says that ideology, including religious ideology, is the root cause of terrorism. Certainly, all these theories are supported by research citing specific examples. Unfortunately, it only proves that there is no root cause for terrorism, a conclusion reached by other studies. Terrorists come from all walks of life and societal backgrounds. Some are rich, some are poor. Some are advantaged, some are disadvantaged. Some live in dictatorships, some live in democracies. Terrorists also don’t fit any single psychological profile. Some are crazy, most are sane. Some are deviant, some are poorly educated, some had a bad childhood; others did not. Terrorists have all different types of backgrounds and profiles. In other words, potential terrorists are indistinguishable from ordinary people like you and me.