Countering Suicide Terrorism

Over the past few decades, a number of nations have been forced to contend with the phenomenon of suicide terrorism. Such diverse countries s Turkey, Sri Lanka, Israel and the United States have all been targeted by terrorists who effectively used suicide terrorism against densely populated civilian and military targets. Most recently, the devastating event at the WTC in New York on 9/11.

Suicide terrorism constitutes an additional stage in the escalation of terrorist activity. In his ability to implement the attack at precisely the time and place where it will cause the maximum number of casualties and greatest damage, the suicide bomber is virtually guaranteed success. Even the least deadly of such attacks succeed in striking a devastating blow to public morale. Suicide terrorism is all the more threatening because of the difficulties in confronting it, the large number of casualties, and the religious or ideological zeal it inspires. It is a phenomenon that often, though not always, goes hand in hand with religious extremism-distorting religion in the service of political aims.

In order to find ways of combating the phenomenon of suicide terrorism, The International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism held an international conference on the subject February 20-23, 2000 at the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya. The conference, Countering Suicide Terrorism, brought together academic experts and counter-terrorism professionals from all over the world in a multidisciplinary venue to compare ways and means of countering the threat of suicide terrorism. Lecturers included experts from Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Turkey, Sri Lanka, the UK and the USA.