The Maroon article “Pape Enters the Public Eye” (10/7/03) highlights Professor Robert Pape’s recent and important research on the strategic logic of suicide terrorism. His main conclusion is substantially correct: suicide terrorists are not crazed religious fanatics intent on blowing themselves and others up for fundamentalist religious reasons, but in fact have a concrete political agenda aimed at compelling the withdrawal of troops from specific territories. The idea that suicide bombers and the organizations that they represent are irrational and crazy is a popular, media-fed myth (with able assistance from U.S. administrations past and present), one that certainly should be dispelled. The fact that Pape is even forced to speak to such a myth is a bit dist
Right conclusions for the wrong reasons
October 13, 2003
Donate to Chicago Maroon
$800
$2000
Contributed
Our Goal
Your donation makes the work of student journalists of University of Chicago possible and allows us to continue serving the UChicago and Hyde Park community.
More to Discover
