July 15, 2007

What terrorism is really about.

This article at Wired.com talks about a pretty interesting theory about what terrorism is really about.

None of this is meant to either excuse or justify terrorism. In fact, it does the exact opposite, by demonstrating why terrorism doesn't work as a tool of persuasion and policy change. But we’re more effective at fighting terrorism if we understand that it is a means to an end and not an end in itself; it requires us to understand the true motivations of the terrorists and not just their particular tactics. And the more our own cognitive biases cloud that understanding, the more we mischaracterize the threat and make bad security trade-offs.
Posted by jackhodgson at July 15, 2007 05:55 PM