Cutting the Fuse - Panel 1

Robert Pape’s presentation addressed a fundamental failure of the War on Terror — we are producing more terrorists than we are killing. The argument he lays out in Cutting the Fuse: The Explosion of Global Suicide Terrorism and How to Stop It centers on occupations as the primary driver of suicide terrorism. By thoroughly examining all suicide attacks carried out from 1980-present day, through the Chicago Project on Suicide Terrorism, Pape concludes that military occupations engender many motives for terrorism -- atrocities that produce desire for revenge, environments in which ordinary people can become heros and increased religious participation to deal with the psychological effects of oppression. In the 1300-plus attacks studied by CPOST, Pape found that almost 100% were driven by occupation, either as a personal experience or a feeling of duty to their community. Pape bolstered the quantitative evidence with video clips of 9/11 and 7/7 suicide bombers, which drove the point home even more. In order to combat the threats we face from suicide terrorism, Pape concludes that the US should return to off-shore balancing: to remove troops from conflict zones in order to reduce our risk of attack, while maintaining a sense of order and stability in regions that are key for US national secu acrity agenda. www.newamerica.net

Channel: YouTube Video Length: 54m 19s Date Found: Wed, Nov 03 2010 5:22 PM Category: News Date Produced: Wed, Nov 03 2010 3:39 PM View Count: 0