factors of terrorism

http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.pratt.edu:2048/stable/27503829?seq=1&Search=yes&searchText=terrorism&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dterrorism%26gw%3Djtx%26acc%3Don%26prq%3Dreality%2Btv%26Search%3DSearch%26hp%3D25%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=4&ttl=41784&returnArticleService=showFullText&resultsServiceName=null
This article was published in November 2002, so (obviously) it was written about a year after 9/11. Things were still very touchy back then, and it's clear in this article that the writer doesn't want to make any accusations or grand statements about why people become terrorists. However, a couple of interesting things are brought up here. First of all, there is a chart that shows how socioeconomic factors affect violence on nation-wide scales. The chart is broken up into two parts: ten underdeveloped countries (primarily in the Middle East and Africa) and the top seven more developed countries (the United States, parts of Europe, and Japan). Here we see how gender equity, education, and health affect peace in these nations. The other interesting section pertains to the demographic which makes up the bulk of terrorists: young, underprivileged males. In general, violence is most prevalent in this group (including in America, where gang violence is takes place among people in this group). One thing that was surprising to me in this article (though it makes sense) is that there are more young males in underdeveloped countries than in developed ones. With the constant tensions between the US and the Middle East, in which the US clearly has the upper hand economically, it makes sense that young men would band together and determine anti-US activity to be a worthy cause.

-kara fowler