Alternative Strategies to Control Terrorism in the Middle East

• In Event: Responses to Terrorism

Abstract

The most common strategy to deter terrorism in the Middle East is to heighten the threat of punishment to those at risk of radicalizing, such as Islamists in Egypt and Algeria, Kurds in Turkey, and Palestinians in Israel. Recent findings from Israel show that repression is more associated with more terrorism—not less; and that when Israel rewards nonterrorism through conciliatory behavior, there are fewer attacks. The current study examines the relationship between repressive and conciliatory government actions on terrorism in Turkey, Egypt, and Algeria to see whether there is any value to adopting conciliatory strategies in nondemocratic countries.

Authors

• Laura Dugan, University of Maryland

• Erica Chenoweth, University of Denver