The Roots of Terror
The debate over what causes Islamic extremist terrorism will be rejoined in the coming weeks, with those who say it is rooted in political grievances lined up against those who blame the deviant pathologies of "Islamofascism". The media will give equal weight and time to both these argument irrespective of the objective fact, as set out by the experts over and over again, that the balance of merit between the two positions is entirely in favour of the former.
I wrote this article after the London bombings last year, describing each of the several instances where the security services have warned the government that its foreign policy is increasing the threat of terror attacks on Britian. Now Robert Pape, professor of political studies at the University of Chicago, is publishing the results of his exhaustive study of 462 suicide bombings in recent history, which surely make him the world's foremost expert on the phenomenon. His conclusion is that "There is not the close connection between suicide terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism that many people think. Rather, what nearly all suicide terrorist campaigns have in common is a specific secular and strategic goal: to compel democracies to withdraw military forces from territory that the terrorists consider to be their homeland. Religion is rarely the root cause, although it is often used as a tool by terrorist organisations in recruiting and in other efforts in service of the broader strategic objective. Most often, it is a response to foreign occupation."
Though the foiled terror attacks on planes leaving the UK were planned for many months, so cannot have been caused by events in Lebanon since 12 July, there can be little serious doubt either that their inspiration was Western foreign policy, or that Britain's current policy towards the Israel-Hizballah war is seriously increasing the already considerable threat of many future attempts by terrorists to inflict death and destruction on this country, some of which will not be foiled.
As I wrote last year, "Britons may wish to take another look at those to whom they have entrusted their safety and security. They may wish to reflect on the fact that their government is deliberately and repeatedly ignoring the advice of the UK’s intelligence services, departmental advisers and independent experts, and pursuing policies that are increasing the threat of terrorist attacks on Britain. They may wish to reflect that, with ... the threat of further atrocities hanging over the country, the government is strenuously avoiding any honest discussion of the problem, preferring to obscure the issues with self-serving mendacity. They may conclude, by uncontroversial reference to the plain facts, that New Labour is clearly failing to discharge its duty of care and is therefore fundamentally unfit to govern."
I wrote this article after the London bombings last year, describing each of the several instances where the security services have warned the government that its foreign policy is increasing the threat of terror attacks on Britian. Now Robert Pape, professor of political studies at the University of Chicago, is publishing the results of his exhaustive study of 462 suicide bombings in recent history, which surely make him the world's foremost expert on the phenomenon. His conclusion is that "There is not the close connection between suicide terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism that many people think. Rather, what nearly all suicide terrorist campaigns have in common is a specific secular and strategic goal: to compel democracies to withdraw military forces from territory that the terrorists consider to be their homeland. Religion is rarely the root cause, although it is often used as a tool by terrorist organisations in recruiting and in other efforts in service of the broader strategic objective. Most often, it is a response to foreign occupation."
Though the foiled terror attacks on planes leaving the UK were planned for many months, so cannot have been caused by events in Lebanon since 12 July, there can be little serious doubt either that their inspiration was Western foreign policy, or that Britain's current policy towards the Israel-Hizballah war is seriously increasing the already considerable threat of many future attempts by terrorists to inflict death and destruction on this country, some of which will not be foiled.
As I wrote last year, "Britons may wish to take another look at those to whom they have entrusted their safety and security. They may wish to reflect on the fact that their government is deliberately and repeatedly ignoring the advice of the UK’s intelligence services, departmental advisers and independent experts, and pursuing policies that are increasing the threat of terrorist attacks on Britain. They may wish to reflect that, with ... the threat of further atrocities hanging over the country, the government is strenuously avoiding any honest discussion of the problem, preferring to obscure the issues with self-serving mendacity. They may conclude, by uncontroversial reference to the plain facts, that New Labour is clearly failing to discharge its duty of care and is therefore fundamentally unfit to govern."
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