Wednesday, July 27, 2011

[ydrzuamj] When does terrorism work?

Sociologists want to know, and so do potential terrorists: under what conditions does terrorism work to produce the desired change?

Is this question taboo, because the answer may be used for evil?

It seems a straightforward question to research: look at acts of terrorism, look at the attackers' agenda, look at the eventual social effect.  Find the commonalities of when the social effect matches the agenda.

This was inspired by the assassinations of abortion doctors (Nuremberg Files, etc.), which, in the absence of something like my scholarship proposal taking off, is an instance of terrorism working exactly as planned.  Although women theoretically maintain the legal right to abortions, finding a provider is becoming increasingly difficult, especially for the more complicated procedures.  Doctors have better things to do with their careers than get shot at, so they exit (or never enter) the specialty.

Shakespeare advocated, "First, let's kill all the lawyers" who would represent causes opposing your agenda. This has a similar feel of attacking a professional specialty of people who could take their skills elsewhere.

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