Ariel Merari

Terrorism as a Strategy of Insurgency

This essay describes terrorism as a mode of warfare and examines its unique characteristics, by comparing this method of struggle to other forms of violent conflict. It further emphasizes the role of terrorism as a strategy of insurgence and delineates the main strategic ideas by which terrorists have hoped to achieve their political objectives. The study evaluates terrorists’ success in obtaining political goals and the conditions which affect their ability to materialize their objectives. The author concludes that the mode of struggle adopted by insurgents is dictated by circumstances rather than by choice, and that whenever possible, insurgents use concurrently a variety of strategies of struggle. Terrorism, which is the easiest form of insurgency, is practically always one of these modes.

Effects of ?1(2)-tetrahydrocannabinol on copulation in the male rat

The mating behavior of 15 male rats was measured after treatment with δ1(2)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and propylene glycol (vehicle). Administration of either 2 mg per kg or 3 mg per kg body weight of THC was followed by significant increases in latency to the first mount, latency to ejaculation, and latency to the first mount following ejaculation. No significant changes were found in the number of intromissions or mounts. The deterioration in sexual performance is interpreted as reflecting a decreased motivation to copulate under the influence of the drug.

Academic research and government policy on terrorism

Since 1968 international terrorism has grown considerably, despite governments’ effort to curb it. Part of this failure is attributable to the inadequate contribution of academic research to government policy making on terrorism. The paper identifies three problem areas that hinder academic influence on government policy making in this field. These are: (1) Terrorism is a difficult subject for research because its diversity makes generalizations questionable and empirical data are hardly accessible for the academic researcher. (2) By and large, terrorism has remained outside the interest of mainstream social science. Academic contributions on terrorism have often been occasional and amateurish, lacking in factual knowledge of the subject matter. Many of them are too theoretical to have an applicability value and some are too speculative to be reliable. (3) For a variety of reasons, including resistance to external influences in general and suspicion of academia in particular, government officials have fai...

A classification of terrorist groups

In contradistinction to existing typologies of terrorist organizations by ideology or intent, a functional classification is suggested. By analyzing terrorist groups according to their target population and base of operation, four basic types of organizations are delineated: Domestic‐based xenofighters, foreign‐based xenofighters, domestic‐based homofighters, and foreign‐based homofighters. On the basis of the operational objectives and specific limitations of these types of terrorist groups, it is proposed that xenofighters tend to adopt more indiscriminate tactics than homofighters, and that foreign‐based groups tend to perpetrate international terrorism, and are dependent on foreign countries’ support. Whereas the struggle against foreign‐based terrorists must focus on reducing the sponsoring countries’ motivation to support them, the battlefield regarding domestic‐based groups is home public opinion.

Female sexual behavior in the male rat: facilitation by cortical application of potassium chloride.

Abstract Two groups of male rats castrated in adulthood were injected daily with estradiol benzoate for 7 days. During the period of injections the subjects were tested for feminine responses to mounts by nonexperimental males. Potassium chloride was applied to the cortices of the subjects in one of the groups before each test, whereas the other group was similarly treated with saline. Both of the groups displayed lordosis responses to mounts, but showed no feminine soliciting responses. The potassium chloride-treated rats exhibited significantly higher lordosis rates than the control subjects. The results suggest that the cerebral cortex exerts an inhibitory influence on the execution of lordosis responses by male rats.

Divergent paths to martyrdom and significance among suicide attackers

Abstract This research used open source information to investigate the motivational backgrounds of 219 suicide attackers from various regions of the world. We inquired as to whether the attackers exhibited evidence for significance quest as a motive for their actions, and whether the eradication of significance loss and/or the aspiration for significance gain systematically differed according to attackers’ demographics. It was found that the specific nature of the significance quest motive varied in accordance with attackers’ gender, age, and education. Whereas Arab-Palestinians, males, younger attackers, and more educated attackers seem to have been motivated primarily by the possibility of significance gain, women, older attackers, those with little education, and those hailing from other regions seem to have been motivated primarily by the eradication of significance loss. Analyses also suggested that the stronger an attacker’s significance quest motive, the greater the effectiveness of their attack, as measured by the number of casualties. Methodological limitations of the present study were discussed, and the possible directions for further research were indicated.

Studying Suicide Bombers: A Response to Brym and Araj's Critique

In this issue of Studies in Conflict & Terrorism Brym and Araj published a critique of the study of would-be suicide bombers that the present author carried out with colleagues. Brym and Arajs point of departure was their allegation that the article attributed the Palestinian suicide attacks mainly to depression and suicidality of the suicide bombers. Their critique was aimed at disputing this alleged attribution. For this end they criticized various aspects of the methodology used in the study and described their own study which, in their view, challenges the authors findings. In this response article the author shows that Brym and Arajs critique is based on false allegations, cannibalized quotes, and distorted interpretation of the published descriptions of the study. Their methodological criticism alleging biased psychological assessment is invalid because it ignores the use of a control group and a “blind” reliability check of the diagnoses. Brym and Arajs own study suffers from serious methodological problems: venturing a psychological assessment on the basis of a brief interview with family members, conducted and analyzed by persons unqualified for making clinical psychological diagnoses, without using a standard battery of psychological tests. Brym and Araj did not use a control group and a “blind” reliability check of their diagnoses.

Long-range effects of castration on mating behavior in the male rat

The copulatory behavior of 14 male rats was measured following castration. Mating tests continued until the complete disappearance of ejaculations, intromissions, mounts, and incomplete mounts. The results showed that, whereas the ejaculation pattern responses disappeared within 8 weeks from castration, the last intromission was observed in the 18th week, and both complete and incomplete mounts were still performed by one male in the 28th postoperative week. These findings are interpreted as indicating that the motivation to copulate outlasts the sensory and motor components of copulatory behavior after castration.

Negotiating with Terrorists

Terrorism has aroused much concern in recent years. Such concern can hardly be attributed to terrorism’s physical effects. As a form of warfare, terrorism is probably the least lethal, and as a source of human suffering it undoubtedly trails far behind certain diseases, natural disasters, or man-made problems such as road accidents or common criminal activity. The undeniable impact that terrorism has had on public mood and, in some cases, on government policies has resulted from factors other than its toll in human lives. Most important among these factors is terrorism’s ability to undermine government legitimacy as a guardian of public peace and as a trustee of the democratic decision-making process. In this regard, the seizure of hostages and the issuing of demands as a condition for their release is the most effective terrorist tactic.