I have long been suspicious about the 'common sense' of the causes of terrorism. As many have said, poverty and lack of education have been mentioned as the root causes of terrorism.

New research by Alan Krueger of Princeton found out that terrorists do not come from poor family or people with lack of education. Most people who got involved in violent acts or organisations that urge violence as their means are at least high school graduates. Plus, they also come from the middle or upper classes.

Among Palestinians, almost 60 percent of the suicide bombers had more than a high school education, compared with less than 15 percent of the general population.

Educated people tend to be more political and want to have a bigger say in the political processes. In a working democracy, people can vote or get involved in politics. However, the case is not the same with those who live in authoritarian regimes or conflict areas. For these people, the 'corner solution' is to use violence.

As for income level, a terrorist needs to have enough welfare to be able to participate in terrorist organisations. The cost of failure is high, so as Krueger suggests, the organisations select more able participants—which again points to those who are better educated and better off economically.

Then, why are educated and better-off people willing to sacrifice themselves? The answer is because they have a certain goal, which they strongly believe in. The goal can come from a wide variety of backgrounds: ideology, faith, religion, nationalism, history, so on and so forth.

These findings are important for us to address the issue appropriately. The 'counter-terrorism' policy in the short run should focus on reducing the 'demand side'. That is:

..degrading terrorist organizations’ financial and technical capabili­ties, and by vigorously protecting and promoting peaceful means of protest, so there is less demand for pursuing grievances through violent means.

In the long run, which Krueger didn't emphasise appropriately, is to answer their grievances, particularly in social justice issues. This is the 'supply side'. A world where socio-economic gap is huge and obvious is certainly a fertile breeding ground for terrorism. That world needs an alternative.

UPDATE 23/4:
I forgot to mention my old two posts with the same issue. I think it's important to also read again the posts to get the 'bigger picture'. They are:

• On Poverty, Education and Terrorism (15/8/2006)
  
• The Radicals and Windows of Opportunity (14/6/2006)