ABSTRACT
Lebanon, especially during the civil war that began in the 1970s, supplies a clear example of complex causes underlying widespread violence, including various types of terrorism, including the taking of Western hostages. In this case, much of the complexity resulted from the fact that so many different groups relied on violence and terrorism in their efforts to achieve their political objectives. Christian-Muslim differences among the Arab population explained some of the violence, but there was also conflict among the Christians, within both the Sunni and Shia communities, and between Sunni, Shia, and Druze Muslims. At different times, groups of Christians or Muslims were in conflict with the PLO. Different groups of Palestinians also attacked each other at various times, and there were also Marxist-Leninist
I U L T I P L E M O T I V A T I O N S 6 6
T that could be primarily categorized as being religious, ethnic/nationalist, or ideological. The examples and case studies in these four chapters were all discussed within the context of the dominant motivation for the dissidents and the political objectives that they were seeking. In a number of cases the dominant motivation for dissident groups was reinforced by other factors. National liberation movements occurred with populations that were often based in a different religious tradition than that of the colonial power. Elements of Marxist-Leninist ideology often appeared in the efforts of colonial populations to free themselves from capitalist colonial powers. Basic concepts present in various leftist theories were easily applied to the situations of subject populations in colonial empires. Notwithstanding the addition of these ideological elements, the movements in question were still essentially ethnic and nationalist efforts directed at creating a new independent state where a colony had been before.
