Military Might and Political, Economic, and Social Institutions: A Global Time Series Empirical Test of Terrorism

Abstract

Current U.S. counter-terrorism policy deals with terrorists in a somewhat rational fashion.  However, the ideology of terrorists has been characterized in a U.S. Government report as involving “oppression, violence, and hate”.  These ambiguous terms share text with more specific irrational reasons for terrorist activities.  In the same report, experts state that terrorists hold “a false belief that the United States is the cause of most problems affecting Muslims today, our enemies seek to expel Western power and influence from the Muslim world and establish regimes that rule according to a violent and intolerant distortion of Islam”.  Furthermore, the report continues by stating “[f]or our terrorist enemies, violence is not only justified, it is necessary and even glorified – judged the only means to achieve a world vision darkened by hate, fear and oppression”.  Moreover, they describe terrorists as having a “distorted and violent view of the world”