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In recent years, suicide terrorism has become a prominent and disturbing phenomenon, and several theories have been proposed as explanations. This paper employs two prominent explanations, (1) the Islamist Network Theory and (2) the Nationalist Occupation Theory, and aims to test the two concepts and explore their validity in the context of the reason behind suicide terrorism. Using suicide terrorist attack data from 1981 to 2022 acquired from the “Database on Suicide Attacks” from the Chicago Project of Security and Threats, the paper finds strong support for the Nationalist Occupation Theory instead of the Islamist Network Theory. Specifically, the deployment of American Troops and U.S- led intervention and influence in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and the Middle East and North African region was a significant predictor of increasing trends of suicide terrorism. These findings suggest that grievances related to occupation and perceived injustice, rather than religious ideology, are the primary drivers of suicide terrorism. Therefore, it is recommended that policymakers and scholars consider occupation and perceived injustice when attempting to understand and combat suicide terrorism rather than focusing solely on religious or ideological factors. |
