The Impact of Terrorism on Support for Sub-State Violence: Lessons from Nepal

• In Event: Fear, Myths, Perceptions, and Exposure to Terrorism and Political Violence

Abstract

Terrorist attacks can negatively impact those who experience these attacks both directly and indirectly. Exposure to political violence has been observed to decrease the inclination of civilians to support political compromise and peaceful conflict resolution. This is relevant to understanding the longevity of long-term conflicts. Witnessing terrorist attacks may also limit support for non-violent solutions to conflicts by increasing the desire for a violent response. This presentation will investigate this issue by testing whether exposure to terrorist violence from a political opposition increases the support for violence to defend or support one’s social or political group. Drawing upon two waves of data from a stratified random sample of 919 Nepalese civilians collected eight months apart in 2013 and 2014, this presentation examines the impacts of two terrorist attacks on the willingness to “take up arms to support my caste/ethnic group” and “sacrifice my life in support of my caste/ethnic group.”

Authors

• Daren Fisher, The Citadel

• Adrian Cherney, University of Queensland