The Roots of Terrorism

The Roots of Terrorism Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation The Roots of Terrorism In the recent past, there have been many incidents of terrorism that have occurred, creating fear among members of society. While there is no exact cause which terrorism can solely be attributed to, there are a few interrelated ones including politics, economy, society, religion, and culture. Of these motivators, I think society outdoes the others as the most influential factor of terrorism. I believe societal factors are to blame the most for the incidences of terrorism throughout history. While religion and economic factors are often cited as the roots of the vice, I tend to think otherwise. This paper argues that society has had the greatest impact on terrorism throughout history and goes on to explain the reasons, mitigation strategy, potential impediments, and whether or not it will remain the most important in the immediate future. An important human need is the need to belong, and groups in the society provide it to people. I believe society has been the biggest motivator of terrorism throughout history because of the human need to belong to a social group. Terrorist organizations such as ISIS, Taliban, and Al-Shabaab that have been linked to terror attacks in the recent past offer a sense of identity to recruits and members. I believe the society does not provide young people with enough sense of identity which is a human need. As human beings, I believe we have an innate need to belong to a particular society or group from which we derive our identity from. However, when such need is not met by the society, terrorist groups such as those mentioned above can be a safe haven for individuals seeking to fulfill this important social need. As informed by an article by Mink (2015), the fixations on religion, economics, and politics as motivators of terrorism by journalists and politicians have obscured the true nature of what appeals to the terrorist groups as well as the policies to counter the vice. The author points out that there is little motivation that terrorists derive from economic, religious, and political grievances. Terrorist groups appeal to recruits because they offer a sense of identity, particularly to individuals undergoing an identity crisis. While terrorist organizations may have economic, political, and religious motives, I believe the initial drive that pushes individuals to join is the need for identity. Therefore, through participating in group activities, such individuals can attain life meaning. Mink (2015) quotes anthrop...