Suicide Terrorism in Sri Lanka (PDF)
R Ramasubramanian

This study is not about suicide terrorism per se, but is concerned with the perpetrators of this kind of terrorism. An attempt has been made to synthesize their psychological and sociological motives and provide a general assessment of suicide terrorism in Sri Lanka. It is hoped that an examination of the extensive body of behaviorist literature on political, nationalistic and religious terrorism will provide some answers to questions such as: Who are suicide terrorists? How do individuals become suicide bombers? How are they recruited? Is there a terrorist mindset or are terrorist groups too diverse to have a single mindset or common psychological traits? Are there instead different terrorist mindsets? Is politics more important than a human life? Is suicide terrorism ever successful? Can suicide terrorism be justified? Why is suicide terrorism an attractive choice for terror groups? What can be some positive goals of terrorist activity? What strategies can be used to stem the tide of suicide attacks?