The Aspects of Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Aspects of Terrorism - Essay Example Understanding these aspects of terrorism is a necessary first step in forming a counter terrorism strategy. The most robust terrorist organizations have their basis in religion, and have been able to recruit members from areas that have been the subject of occupation by a foreign power. On the individual level, feelings of nationalism and a right to a land are the strongest motivators for committing terrorist acts, while ideology has only a small part. Suicide bombers are arguably the most heavily committed individuals to the terrorist's cause. In a recent study at the University of Chicago, Pape (2003) found that, "a strategy of suicide terrorism is most likely to be used to achieve nationalist goals, such as gaining control of what the terrorists see as their national homeland territory and expelling foreign military forces from that territory" (7). This has been evidenced in the Palestinian crisis, Northern Ireland, and Basque separatists in Spain. "Even Al Qaeda's goals for 9/11 included ridding Saudi Arabia of U.S. troops" (Investigations). A right to a homeland far outweighs the importance of ideology. Ideology seldom enters the discussion on terrorism or the terrorist's demands.