ABSTRACT
To understand the future of terrorism online, it is important to first identify the real reason behind young and old men and women killing themselves for the sake of a cause. While not everyone agrees, Robert Pape, who has done extensive research on this topic, puts forward a compelling argument that foreign occupation is a primary cause of suicide terrorism. It is not the only cause, nor is it a requirement for suicide attacks. However, if we look at countries generating attacks over the past 20 plus years and the number of troops stationed in these countries, a direct link can be seen. “There is no evidence there were any suicide-attack organizations lying in wait in Iraq before our [United States] invasion. What is happening is that the suicide terrorists have been produced by the invasion.”1 As a point of reference, the United States alone maintains a global military presence, in 144 countries worldwide, ranging from “one Marine in Sierra Leone to an Army Corps in Germany.”2
