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Do Foreign Occupations Cause Suicide Attacks?

Author

Listed:
  • Simon Collard-Wexler

    (Department of Political Science, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA)

  • Costantino Pischedda

    (Department of Political Science, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA)

  • Michael G. Smith

    (Department of Political Science, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA)

Abstract

The phenomenon of suicide attacks has dramatically expanded over the last twenty years, rising from no events in 1980 to a total of 1,398 events by 2008. A prominent theory has argued that suicide attacks are a coercive strategy aimed at ending foreign military occupation by democracies. Yet these conclusions are based on a research design that is affected by selection bias and that fails to distinguish foreign occupations from cases of groups seeking independence or autonomy, which we term domestic occupations. Analyzing an original data set that distinguishes the different types of occupation, we find that only foreign occupations have a strong and consistent effect on the incidence of suicide attacks. The reason, we argue, is that suicide attacks only become cost effective when targets are both hardened and accessible, a strategic environment that is more common to civil wars and foreign occupations than to domestic occupations.

Suggested Citation

  • Simon Collard-Wexler & Costantino Pischedda & Michael G. Smith, 2014. "Do Foreign Occupations Cause Suicide Attacks?," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 58(4), pages 625-657, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jocore:v:58:y:2014:i:4:p:625-657
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Andra Filote & Niklas Potrafke & Heinrich Ursprung, 2016. "Suicide attacks and religious cleavages," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 166(1), pages 3-28, January.
    2. Asongu, Simplice & Acha-Anyi, Paul, 2019. "Global Tourism and Waves of Terror: Perspectives from Military Expenditure," MPRA Paper 101793, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Simplice A. Asongu, 2019. "The persistence of global terrorism," Working Papers of the African Governance and Development Institute. 19/053, African Governance and Development Institute..
    4. Simplice A. Asongu & Stella-Maris I. Orim & Rexon T. Nting, 2019. "Terrorism and Social Media: Global Evidence," Journal of Global Information Technology Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(3), pages 208-228, July.
    5. James A. Piazza, 2016. "Oil and terrorism: an investigation of mediators," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 169(3), pages 251-268, December.

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