Out: PSYOP In: MISO - Inside the mind of a suicide bomber

[chanel]

There are three myths about terrorists that must be corrected if we are to battle terrorism effectively, according to Col. Matt Venhaus: that Muslim youth become terrorists for economic reasons; that they become terrorists primarily for religious reasons; and that they are recruited by al-Qaeda.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, terrorists are not motivated by poverty; they do not turn to violence in a fit of religious fervor; and al-Qaeda does not actively recruit them–they go looking for al-Qaeda, according to Venhaus.

“If you understand the phenomenon incorrectly then your solution’s going to be wrong,” Venhaus said at panel Dec. 2 at the Heritage Foundation on the role of psychological operations (PSYOP) in strategic communication in warfare. Venhaus, currently at the Department of Defense, spent a year interviewing more than 2,000 “foreign fighters” to determine the reasons young Muslim men were turning to terrorism in such large numbers. In his words, if putting a bomb in your underwear and getting on a plane is the answer, “then what in the heck is the question?”

Venhaus found that Muslim youth were primarily acting out a need to control their environment–their strict Muslim lifestyles gave them few options to vent the pent-up energy bred by such structured, in many cases suffocating, lives.

Our strategy for psychological operations must, therefore, take this information into account, since we’re fighting two wars in the Muslim world

How Islam Creates Terrorists, and How to Defeat Them

Interesting piece. Comments?

 

[Mobius]

Seems pretty interesting. If the hypothesis holds water it'd be interesting to see if the more conservative Muslim societies (like Saudi Arabia) generate more recruits the more liberals ones (like Iran).

 

[Joe Six-Pack]

This does not surprise me. Much anger in the Muslim world is present for just this reason. I can see why. Just look at the restrictions that they must live under.

Repeated suicide attack is being seen today for only the 2nd time in history. I believe that today's suicide attackers are similar (NOT the same) to those that Japan produced in the 1940's. Some survived and have their stories documented in "Blossoms in the wind". By similiar, I am not speaking about personalities. I refer to the degree of dedication to cause and the culture of 'death before dishonor'. Or, 'The greatest thing that he could hope for was to die for the emperor'.