Understanding Terrorism and Political Violence: The Life Cycle of Birth, Growth, Transformation, and Demise
Dipak K. Gupta
Language: English
Pages: 303
ISBN: B000SEGY8U
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
This book explains the lifecycle of terrorist organizations from an innovative theoretical perspective, combining economics with social psychology. It provides a new approach to understanding human behaviour in organized society, and then uses this to analyze the forces shaping the lifecycle of violent political movements.
Economic and rational-choice theorists assume that human beings are motivated only by self-utility, yet terrorism is ultimately an altruistic act in the eyes of its participants. This book highlights the importance of the desire to belong to a group as a motivating factor, and argues that all of us face an eternal trade-off between selfishness and community concern. This hypothesis is explored through four key groups; the IRA in Northern Ireland, Al Qaeda, Hamas, and the Naxalites in India. Through this, the book analyzes the birth, growth, transformation and demise of violent political movements, and ends with an analysis of the conditions which determine the outcome of the war against terrorism.
Understanding Terrorism and Political Violence will be essential reading for advanced students of terrorism studies and political science, and of great interest to students of social psychology and sociology.
Long Mile Home: Boston Under Attack, the City's Courageous Recovery, and the Epic Hunt for Justice
All About Terrorism: Everything You Were Too Afraid to Ask
Rise of ISIS: A Threat We Can't Ignore
Who Dares Wins - The SAS and the Iranian Embassy Siege 1980 (Raid)
My Guantanamo Diary: The Detainees and the Stories They Told Me
ethnicity and tribalism only serve as material for constructed identity. Along with religion, nationalism serves as the most common source of violent upheavals, where the battle lines are drawn by some vaguely understood definition of who is included and who is not. Similar to all other herding animals, humans—since their simian days—have lived in small groups along bloodlines and have competed with others for scarce resources. The indelible psycho-biological need to form groups caused the
through the [Hawala] systems has also attracted concerns about their potential use as a conduit for terrorist funds. Because there is no requirement for identification documents or source of funds, a [Hawala] dealer can initiate or facilitate a multiplicity of transfers, which conceal the ultimate origin of the funds through their network in different jurisdictions. The recipient of funds can use the funds to conduct a terrorist act. Once the transaction is completed, all customer identification
Islamic state can call for jihad. In that case, for instance, if the Majlis passes a fatwa, the President can declare it, with, of course, the acquiescence of the Ayatollah. In a formal set-up, the procedure to call for jihad is analogous to the functioning of the British parliamentary system. After Islamic leaders started fighting amongst themselves, they each declared themselves the head of state, resulting in confusion. In today’s nation states, the largely secular type leadership has seen the
“non-criminality” and ideological purity, a terrorist group would prefer to raise money through what is perceived to be a “legitimate” source.21 Thus, contributions by the diaspora in North America and elsewhere in the world for the Provisional IRA and the LTTE would fall into this category. The same is true with support received from foreign governments. These activities do not tarnish the image of a dissident group. Hizbullah receives contributions from its patron states, Iran and Syria, while
counterterrorism efforts by the target government. Individual activists leave terrorism for the same reasons they join. As I have argued, groups offer a powerful source of motivation. They fulfill the fundamental human need of belonging to a community of like-minded people. It also accords rectitude and respect from family, friends, and the community. 162 Demise of dissent Moreover, the macho image of a gun-toting rebel may attract attention from the opposite sex. The group may also provide a
