Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
"Ami Pedahzur’s articulate and groundbreaking work not only addresses how terrorism occurs, but also why terrorist groups have chosen suicide terrorism as a tactic throughout the globe ... an outstanding examination of suicide terrorism."
Australian Journal of Political Science
"A noteworthy and essential addition to the body of literature. Pedahzur adds significant, accessible insight into suicide operations that informs strategic, operational, and tactical perspectives."
British Army Review
"Helps us understand the gendered nature of suicide terrorism."
Nicola Pratt, Democratiya
"Suicide Terrorism is among the most authoritative and incisive analyses of this subject available. Ami Pedahzur’s meticulous research and trenchant analysis coupled with his direct experience of suicide terrorism’s corrosive effects on society endow the book with a perspective and gravitas unique in the literature. Suicide Terrorism is essential reading for anyone wanting to understand the emergence and growth of this tactic and the best means to counter it."
Bruce Hoffman, US Military Academy, West Point; author of Inside Terrorism
"This is a comprehensive approach to a difficult phenomenon by someone who knows his subject well. Pedhazur writes with the cool clarity of a seasoned social scientist, but with the sensitivity of one who has lived through suicide attacks and can count former students and colleagues among the victims. Comparing cases of Muslim militants associated with Al-Qaeda, Hamas and Hizbollah, with Sri Lankan Tamil separatists, Kurdish nationalists and Japanese kamikaze fighters, he derives a complex analytic framework with cultural, political and socio-psychological dimensions. This book brings our understanding of this increasingly familiar form of terrorism to a new level of sophistication."
Mark Juergensmeyer, author of Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence
"Ami Pedahzur has established himself as one of the most astute observers of terrorist violence in general and suicide terrorism in particular. In this work he answers all the crucial questions concerning the when, why and how of suicide attacks. This is an outstanding book by an outstanding young scholar."
Leonard Weinberg, University of Nevada Reno
"Suicide Terrorism is an exhaustive study and provides incisive analysis of the subject."
Mia Bloom, University of Georgia
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
Table of Contents
AcknowledgementsList of FiguresChapter 1 - What is Suicide Terrorism? The Symbiosis between Terror and Death What is Suicide Terrorism? General Features of Suicide Terrorism in the World Tactical Features of Suicide Terrorism Methods of Operation Targets of Suicide Terrorism Plan of the Book Chapter 2 - How Can Suicide Terrorism Be Explained? Strategic-Rational Decision-Making The Social-Cultural Aspect Recruitment of the Potential Suicide Bomber The Organisational Procedure Summary Chapter 3 - Turning to Suicide Terrorism: Hezbollah and the Palestinian Organisations Founding Fathers of Modern-Day Suicide Terrorism - The Hezbollah in Lebanon Suicide Terrorism - A Winning Strategy Suicide Terrorism as a Tool for Gaining Power in Political Arenas in Lebanon and the Middle East External or Internal Struggle? Suicide Terrorism in the Palestinian Arena Suicide Terrorism - A Strategy for Advancing the Peace Process? Suicide Terrorism as a Strategy in the Contemporaneous Struggle against both Israel and the Palestinian Authority Suicide Terrorism as a Tool in Rivalry among Organisations - The Case of the Al-Aqsa Intifada Summary Chapter 4 - Turning to Suicide Terrorism - The LTTE and the PKK Overall Strategy or a Specific Tactic? - Suicide Terrorism of the LTTE in Sri Lanka Suicide Terrorism as a Tool in the Tamil Minority's Struggle for Independence Suicide Terrorism and the Tamil Political Arena Factors Leading to the LTTE's Suspension of Suicide Attacks Suicide Terrorism as a Means of Organisational Survival - The PKK in Turkey Popular Support, Member Morale or Strategic Interest? The PKK's Opting for Suicide Terrorism The Role of Turkish Policy in Thwarting Further PKK Suicide Actions Summary Chapter 5 - The Transition to Suicide Terrorism: Al-Qaeda and the Network of the Islamic Fundamentalist Groups The Strategy of Ostentatious Suicide Terrorism - The Al-Qaeda Organisation Suicide Terrorism of the Islamic Fundamentalist Groups Summary Chapter 6 - Who Becomes a Suicide Terrorist? Preconditions for the Emergence of Suicide TerrorismCommitment as a Motivation for Suicide Attacks Personal Motivation for Suicide Attacks Financial Crisis as Motivation Personal Crisis as Motivation Revenge as Motivation An Analysis of the Motivations of Palestinian Suicide Bombers Summary Chapter 7 - The Recruitment and Socialisation of the Suicide Terrorist The Environmental Setting of Suicide Terrorism Recruitment Training Dispatching Summary Chapter 8 - The Consequences of Suicide Terrorism AfterwordThe Effects of Suicide Terrorism The Response to Suicide Terrorism Short-Term Offensive Responses Short-Term Defensive Responses Long-Term Offensive Responses Long-Term Defensive Responses NotesAppendix: Suicide BombingsIndex