Adam Wolfson’s article on suicide terrorism presents some conclusions based on a study of all the suicide terrorism events to date. As with many things, looking at the statistics and hard numbers should lead to better conclusions than simply relying on gut instinct. In this politically charged atmosphere, I doubt that all of Wolfson’s conclusions will be accepted, and my sense is that some of the emphasis is not quite right, but it’s good to start from something solid.
This article is especially worthwhile as a way to start to think about this barely-possible-to-understand phenomenon and its implications.