Why terrorism occurs - a survey of theories and hypotheses on the causes of terrorism

Abstract

Research literature on terrorism has often been criticised for a general lack of scientifically sound theoretical research on patterns and causes of terrorism. This report provides an updated survey of existing theories and hypotheses on the causes of terrorism, drawing upon studies not only from recent terrorism research literature, but also from general social science and conflict studies. The purpose of this survey is to establish analytical tools for predicting future patterns and developments of terrorism, which is a major research objective of the Terrorism and Asymmetric Warfare Project. At the end of the report, we deal briefly with a few security policy implications of the theories surveyed. They have been discussed more fully, however, in our report “Globalisation and the Future of Terrorism: Patterns and Predictions”, FFI/RAPPORT-2000/01703.