Robert Pape, an academic whose work has been critically examined by professionals in the same or near similar fields, enough?
Maybe some still believe in the publication of evidence that has been collected and assessed, but in a world in which half truths, partial truths, the use of different contextual settings to belie the truth, his will draw much obscurantism and special pleading.

Why?

Well it sinks without trace the idea quoted by the trinity that there is a big Islamic bogy man out to either take our freedoms or set up a world wide Caliphate, using terrorism as the method for achieving this aim. Here set out is evidence that suicide attacks, responsible for most deaths, which in turn command the most attention are by secular groups. Sure there are some Islamic groups wishing for a caliphate, see Islam and the West By Akbarzadeh and Yasmeen UNSW press, just as there are some groups within the Christian Church wishing for the Apocalypse, but in the main, at present, Islam is rational and moderate. (Becoming less so?)

Much of the political stance of the coalition (and of the willing part, how similar they are, same text?) is based, justified by such a belief. The diminution of our freedoms ostensibly to protect us (or is it to get a minister off the hook should an attack occur?) and increase of engendered fear going together.

Some of what the Professor claims can be checked at www.tkb.org as can Howard’s claim of terrorism before Iraq, one or two, it is unclear.

There is a "big islamic bogey man" out there and he does want the world to be islamic - unfortunately. That is one reason - possibly the main one - these incredibly stupid suicide bombers foolishly sacrifice their lives. Only a complete bonehead would kill themselves for a smaller cause other than world domination. It has been said that the males do it for 70 perpetual virgins and 32 'pearls' or untouched hairless (pubic wise) boys. Are yes! their paradise is an X-rated one, except for the girls they just get to watch. Again only a retarded bonehead would suicide for that one would think. It is these "bogey" men that propel the stupid to slay themselves. That way they get rid of the complete idiots before they take over the world.These "bogey" men think nought of the idiots they indoctrinate with false hope and hatred. But that has always been the way in all societies. Can you imagine a world under pagan islam, I mean look at what these people have given to the world. There's er! then there's er, surely there must be something these pathetic pagans have added to the world. Of course hatred, death, torture, mutilation and destruction. We would do well to keep our eyes upon these lunatics in our midst. hooroo

Partially true Numbat I foolishly implied that none of the suicide attacks were made by Islamic fundamentalists, what I should have said was that a minority of such are perpetrated by Islamic fundamentalista, just as a minority of murders in the West are by antiabortoin non secular groups. Apart from that you obvioulsy are not prepared to accept other than your own view, this was my point honest scholarship is disbelieved derided in a world of conflict. Further those responsible, presumably protecting their own position will distort, etc the data.

QUOTE: "The anatomy of a suicide bomber"

That is a joke right? I mean locating the anatomy is half the forensic investigators challenge

Full marks to Keith Suter for one of the clearest and truest explanations of our simmering terrorist problems yet - without any wasted space. As an oldie among a group of young uni’ students in Sri-Lanka back in the early eighties, and also in Jaffna, we were later not surprised at the Tamil’s now long-standing terrorist actions against the arrogant Sri-Lankan Buddhists - also not surprised at the suicide bombing and killing of Mrs Gandhi’s son later, for sending Indian troops to Sri-Lanka to help the Sri-Lankan government fight the tenacious Tamil Tigers.

As Mubarak of Egypt has pointed out recently, though he is a virtual puppet of the US, the Islamist terrorist attacks particularly against the US and her close allies, can be related to the Middle East, as simply intrusion and injustice to a group of peoples, who had formerly been under oppression by the Ottoman Turks for hundreds of years. Yet after the defeat of Germany and Turkey in WW1, after a promise of freedom and democracy, they were sold out along with who is still regarded as our heroic Lawrence of Arabia. One historical figure, that makes you still proud to be connected to Britain.

Indeed, we Australians reckon we pride ourselves on a fair go, as Lawrence tried to do - yet right now we are helping with the same old Middle-East dirty set of tricks - promises of democracy and then the double-cross and American and British oil companies taking over - who are now in Iraq preparing to play the same old nefarious corporate tune. .

No wonder we are suffering from terrorism when we are all still steeped in 19th century-style economic imperialism, possibly at its worst, yet too blind to see it.

Apologies to Keith Suter, if my country language does not quite suit, yet hope the commentary can be of some help.

George C, WA - (Bushbred

What a confused and pathetic species Homo sapiens has become.We have achieved technologies beyond the grasp of our common intelligence.We have religions that conflict logically with scientific fact,yet cling to a religious father figure of intellectual irrationality.
I don't think we emotionally and intellectually are able to cope with this modern world.This means even more bad decisions will be made in the name of our religions.

There is no logic behind Suicide Terrorism.To raise your children to be martyrs to an idelogy of hate and destruction is the ultimate in parental narissism.

Why are we on such an urgent quest to our own destruction?The last I heard our Sun has a few billion years of energy left and we humans who have just decended from the trees are so arrogrant.

Why do we hurry such to our demise?
The universe of years, billions aged,
Has secrets for our children's surprise!!

Most of this contribution is uninformed.

Yes, religious fanaticism can be involved but the major cause of terrorism is mind-control. The CIA has led this field for many years and the art was learnt from the Russians. The web page http://insights2.org/nesara/Psychopolitics.html might be a good place to start, but it is a long article. Go to http://nesara.insights2.org/ for more information on that.

Muslims were not at all involved in the WTC 9-11 event. If they were 'involved' at all in the British 9-11 (see http://insights2.org/nesara/British911.html) they were tricked into carrying the explosives. It was a very blatant cover-up and I was glad to see so many of the non-national (controlled) newspapers report so fully and so quickly about this.

Muslims should stand up for their rights and expose the real traitors, who have no compassion for human life nor the planet.

Hopefully they will soon be in irons and the world will be rid of this cancer.

Milson. You are joking...right?!

Gee ,wouldn't you want to be informed like Milson? I rest my case.

Well if I rocked back and forth reciting religious notation all day everyday, this would provide a perfect environment for mind control and suggestion.

The funding of many of the Mosques around the world come from Saudi Arabia. In Australia not all the mosques contain moderate Muslims as interviewed on our news and current affair programs.

When I speak to Afghan women they point towards Pakistan?

Pakistan has territory that not even its own Government will enter under some agreement and they are too frightened to. The pakistani army men will not go in there.

Pakistan has already had the world finger pointed at it with its institutions that enlist young boys and the routined praying schedules for food and a roof over their heads.

Could we find Osama there. Mr Bush needs to go investigate.

A front-page spread in the only public newspaper in our city of Perth, gets to the point of the seething problem of Islamic terrorism. Double-standards in global politics towards Islamics is part of the sub-theme. The target is our Anglicised Trilogy, Australia, Britain and America. From one who has done an intensive study of Western history and philosophy beginning from Ancient Greece, it was hoped that suddenly we might have learnt from the mistakes of our historical past.

Looking down the column has us researchers again harking back to the Middle-East, remembering how the Brits after W1 made promises of freedom and democracy through TE Lawrence, then the double-cross and the need to mustard gas and kill ten thousand Arabs to calm the place down and make way for BP and much cheaper fuel. After WW2, democracy and freedom promised for the Iranians through the puppet Shah, the Shah later kicked out by an unhappy Iranian people, and the Americans more later backing Saddam’s Iraq to knock out Iran - Henry Kissinger praying that both warring parties might knock each other out. Little Israel comes next into the picture soon made dreadfully dangerous with 200 nuclear-headed rockets at the ready, with an OK from the US of A. Two hundred hundred well-primed rockets with a couple of US carriers in the Gulf, all that should be needed now to keep Iran and Syria quiet.

Much much more to report on Iraq, but only time to ask our so-called democratic fair-go-minded Aussies should the Arabs be fighting back with the only means available - suicidal attacks with home-made bombs, or should they all just shutup, and accept to play us in a friendly game of cricket, soccer or baseball, and a gift of a string of McDonalds and Kentucky Fried’s strung across the whole Iraqi state.

Indeed, if there was a God up there, as Ralston Saul had hoped or intimated to gain a better point of view, we wonder whether Saul's God might suggest to the Yanks, Brits and Aussies, will you ever learn ?

Brushy that almost sounds like one of my Air Force mates when he said "Don't talk to me about GOD... I've been to Vietnam"
(as it happens, so was I, during the war also)
he blamed God for the problem. Did God move the Americans to greedily try to create a further 'sphere of influence' ? Or the Viet Cong to fight them ?

God is the solution not the problem. 'WE' are the problem. Lets not waste more valuable space on that.

The peace and unity of heart and mind that man CAN have when rightly related to God, was my experience in Borneo, we often had gatherings in various dwellings, Kayans, Kenyas, Ibans, Muruts, Kelabits all together, no sentence would be less than a mixture of about 5 languages, our fellowship was glorious, former warring tribes, some still with the large scars of sword gashes on their bodies, some who's relatives had been enslaved, murdered, now gathering together for the one purpose of sharing the Love of God thru Christ with others who as yet don't know Him. (PS. the slaves were freed and given land and buffalo)

It's not all black/doom/gloom Brushy.

I keep harping on 'get to the root' of what motivates suicide bombers in the name of Allah, that's where the issue lies. We can also observe what differentiates that root from the foundations of other faiths.

Terrorism and its paradoxical nature.

One of the leading academics of international terrorism, Walter Laqueur (http://www.policyreview.org/aug04/laqueur.html) argues, rightfully so, that terrorism has a pre-history.

However, it is also imperative to consider issues such as political relationships and international policy implications in the 20th and now 21st centuries.

Accordingly, policy planners (at least from my standpoint) do not appear to be taking into consideration the innate nature of Muslim extremists and it is in this regard that a multi disciplinary approach is required - academically speaking and applied by our policy experts in Canberra - but of course as politicians are involved in the policy process the policy paradox is compounding.

And to be more specific the multi disciplinary approach primarily includes history, sociology, politics, theology, economics and perhaps psychology.

If policy planners can adopt a macro approach we will never truly eradicate suicide bombers and the ideologies of extremist terrorist organisations but we will understand their pursuits and reasons as to why they cause harm on society and individuals.

It is also interesting when one listens to the likes of Messrs Blair, Howard and Bush when they attempt to argue that there are no reasons that justify the actions of terrorists.

Whilst I believe that they are partially correct, there are always reasons despite the conflict nature of policy and the decisions that our Government make or do not make in representing, in this case, Australian society.

Dr Suter, as usual I find your comments educational, factual and enjoyable to read.

Thank you.
Regards,

Brendan

Interesting article -

When someone has decided to follow the path of terrorism it is as if they have contracted rabies.

The only solution to a rabid dog is to kill it.

In this respect, I do agree with the British police strategy when dealing with suspected bombers - do what needs to be done to avoid the bomb exploding.

5 bullets in the head helps prevent any terrorist exploding and harming those in the vicinity.

The other great deterent is the rapid response action and arrest of suspects in London facilitated by good intelligence work and CCTV.

One good way of detering those who attempt this sort of slaughter against a democratically elected government is the certainty of discovery followed by an expeditious termination. Let us all get very real about this - "terrorism" is a deadly act which merits a death sentence - a shame the UK Gov did not have such an option when "negotiating" with the IRA and the Provos.