The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism by Pape, Bloom, and Horowitz

“Terrorism involves the use of violence by an organization other than a national government to cause intimidation or fear among a target audience;” at least, this is how Pape (2003) defines terrorism in his article “The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism” (343). The goal of this article by Pape is to discuss suicide terrorism and how it “follows a strategic logic, one specifically designed to coerce modern liberal democracies to make significant territorial concessions” (343). Similar to Pape, Bloom (2004) and Horowitz (2010) also delve into the exponential increase of suicide terrorism and why it occurs. Although Pape, Bloom, and Horowitz concur that suicide terrorism is increasing, they disagree why it is so prominent. While the arguments presented from each of these researchers is powerful and certainly plausible, suicide terrorism is in fact not irrational, but strategic and is most often caused by state occupation and, when organized, aimed specifically at democracies.
Pape believes that suicide terrorism is focused around democracies and occupation. After conducting his research, Pape discovered that from 1980 to 2001, records of suicide terrorism have had three main reoccurring, necessary properties: timing, nationalist goals, and target selection. Pape (2003) explains that, when it comes to timing, “nearly all suicide attacks occur in organized, coherent campaigns, not as isolated or randomly timed incidents” (347). Thus, Pape infers there is strategic reasoning behind this way of terrorizing the masses. He further states campaigns of suicide terrorism focus on gaining oversight of territory terrorists deem as their national homeland.
Perhaps the most important property of suicide terrorism, at least in Pape’s case, i...

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...lopment of suicide terrorism, is safe, or better yet unsafe, to say terrorism will continue to shape the future.

WORKS CITED
Abrahams, Max. “Cutting The Fuse: The Explosion Of Global Suicide Terrorism And How To Stop It.” Middle East Quarterly 19.2 (2012): 87-88. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
Bloom, Mia. “Maybe Necessary; By No Means Sufficient.” Review Of Politics 74.1 (2012): 172-176. Academic Search Premier. 20 Apr. 2014.
Bloom, Mia M. “Palestinian Suicide Bombing: Public Support, Market Share, and Outbidding.” Political Science Quarterly 119.1 (2004): 61-88. Print.
Horowtiz, Michael C. “Nonstate Actors and the Diffusion of Innovations: The Case of Suicide Terrorism.” International Organization 64 (2010): 33-64. Print.
Pape, Robert A. “The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism.” American Political Science Review 97.3 (2003): 343-361. Print.