The Roots of Terrorism

What causes terrorism? It is a deceptively simple question. As with all social phenomena, there is no easy answer to this most urgent inquiry. The destruction caused by terrorists in recent years has led everyone to ask: Why did they do it? The Roots of Terrorism guides the reader through the many factors that give rise to terrorism, demonstrating that it is ultimately the interaction of these factors that brings about terrorist attacks. This broad overview of the root causes of terrorism is designed to teach an appreciation of the complexities of this social phenomenon while exposing commonly held yet erroneous beliefs that might otherwise be construed as easy explanations.

Author Assaf Moghadam is a Research Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a doctoral candidate in international relations at the Fletcher School at Tufts University.

Series Consulting Editor Leonard Weinberg is Foundation Professor of Political Science at the University of Nevada, Reno. He has served as a consultant to the United Nations Office for the Prevention of Terrorism (Agency for Crime Control and Drug Prevention).

Series Consulting Editor William L. Eubank is an associate professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Reno. He teaches courses including Constitutional Law, Civil Rights and Liberties, American Politics, and the History of Political Science.