@article{THESIS,
      recid = {6137},
      author = {Mughal, Areej },
      title = {Nationalist Occupation Theory and the Decline in Suicide  Terrorism},
      publisher = {University of Chicago},
      school = {M.A.},
      address = {2023-06},
      number = {THESIS},
      abstract = {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.},
      url = {http://knowledge.uchicago.edu/record/6137},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.6082/uchicago.6137},
}