Suicide Terrorism

Suicide terrorism is rising around the world, but do you know why? What drives young men and women to become suicide bombers? Are these attacks perpetrated by irrational religious zealots, or is there a logic behind them? Come and hear our panel of experts address these questions and more.

Featuring:

Peter Bergen is a Fellow at the New America Foundation in Washington D.C. where he researches and writes on the al Qaeda network and on the problem of global terrorism. He is the author of The Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of Al Qaeda’s Leader and Holy War, Inc.: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden. He has written for a variety of publications including The New York Times, The New Republic, Vanity Fair, Foreign Affairs, The Washington Post, The Washington Times and the Washington Monthly. He also serves as CNN’s terrorism analyst.

Baltasar Garzón is an investigating judge for Spain´s National Court, where he has worked since 1998 and is currently a Distinguished Fellow at the Center on Law and Security. One of his areas of expertise is the investigation of terrorism, from the Antiterrorist Liberation Groups (GAL), a paramilitary organization operating in Spain, to the terrorist organization, ETA, to al Qaeda cells and Islamist terrorism in Spain. He has also investigated drug trafficking, organized crime, and financial crimes, as well as crimes against humanity, such as the torture and genocide that took place in Chile and Argentina. He ordered the arrest of both Augusto Pinochet and Osama bin Laden. He is the author of various books and articles on terrorism.

Stephen Holmes is the Walter E. Meyer Professor of Law at NYU School of Law. He previously taught at Harvard University in the Department of Government, at the University of Chicago in the Law School and the Political Science Department and at Princeton University in the Politics Department. His fields of specialization include democratic theory, the history of liberalism, the disappointments of democratization after communism, the Russian criminal justice system, comparative constitutional law, political trials, and the weaknesses of international law. His recent essay, “Al-Qaeda, September 11, 2001” appears in Diego Gambetta’s Making Sense of Suicide Missions.

Farhad Khosrokhavar is a professor at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris, a position he has held since 1998. He was previously an associate professor at EHESS-Cadis (1991-98) and a Rockefeller Fellow (1990-91). His research interests include political sociology, the sociology of religion, contemporary Islam, and Iran. He has published extensively on Iran and Islam in Europe. His most recent book is Suicide Bombers: Allah’s New Martyrs.

Robert A. Pape is Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago specializing in international security affairs. Among his many publications are the books Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism and Bombing to Win: Air Power and Coercion in War. His commentary on international security policy has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, New Republic, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, and Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, as well as on Nightline, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, and National Public Radio. His current work focuses on the causes of suicide terrorism and the politics of unipolarity.