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The Strategic
Importance, Causes, and Consequences of Terrorism
A Multidisciplinary
Colloquium
March 11 and 13, 2004
Ann Arbor, Michigan
The purpose of
this colloquium, organized by the Roots of Terrorism Initiative, was to
bring together a multidisciplinary group of scholars from the
University of Michigan and beyond to discuss how current academic
research can both increase our theoretical understanding of terrorism
and provide practical guidance on how to address its causes and
consequences.
The colloquium opened on March 11 with
Former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright sharing her thoughts
on the important questions that need to be answered in order to
understand the danger terrorism presents and develop strategies to
combat it. It continued on March 13 with a day of
panel
discussions addressing the current state of academic research on
terrorism, different disciplinary approaches to studying terrorism,
and finally, how academic research can help inform government policy.
Suicide Terrorism:
Strategic Importance and Counterstrategies
An
Advanced Research Workshop
June 10 - 14, 2004
Lisbon, Portugal
Suicide attacks by terrorist organizations
have become more prevalent globally, with effects that disrupt the
political, economic, and social routines of national life and
international relations. Repeated attacks in Israel/Palestine,
Pakistan/Kashmir/India, Russia/Chechnya, and U.S.-occupied Iraq show
that massive counterforce alone does not reliably diminish the
frequency of terrorist attacks. Defending against these relatively
diffuse, horizontal social networks requires very different risk
assessments and tactics than those used to combat national armies. At
a minimum, an effective strategy for combating terrorism requires
understanding and acting on the root causes of terrorism through
political, economic, and social action programs; preemptively
penetrating and destroying terror organizations through a combination
of intelligence and military action; and protecting sensitive
populations and installations from attack.
The purpose of this workshop,
directed by
Scott Atran of the University of Michigan and Ariel Merari of Tel
Aviv University, was to assess and establish a network to increase
the availability of scientific research on suicide terrorism. Scholars
from a variety of fields and numerous countries presented empirical
findings and engaged in dialogue with members NATO community. In an age
of globalized information, long-term cooperative ventures between
academic institutions, NGOs and government can play an increasingly
crucial role in addressing the threats posed by suicide terrorism. In
presenting their current research on this phenomenon, participants
hope to contribute to this process.
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