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Islamist Terrorism

(Foreign Policy) C. Christine Fair and Husain Haqqani - There are several pivotal conflicts around the world that animate militant Islamist ideology, from the Caucasus and the Balkans to the southern Philippines and the intractable Kashmir conflict. Radical Islamists want nothing less than the restoration of Islamic sovereignty to all lands where Muslims were once ascendant, including Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Hungary, Sicily, Spain, and even parts of France. These ambitions are unlikely to be satisfied by an Israeli-Palestinian settlement. There is no evidence of a correlation between social and economic ills and terrorism. In the world's 50 poorest countries, there is little terrorism. In Arab countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia, terrorists originate in the some of the wealthiest regions and neighborhoods. A survey of 14 Muslim countries found that respondents who reported having inadequate money for food were the least likely to support terrorism, while individuals with cell phones or computers were more likely to support terrorism. C. Christine Fair is a senior research associate at the U.S. Institute of Peace. Husain Haqqani is a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
2006-02-10 00:00:00
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