What terrorists want
Reader comment on item: [Nepal and France:] Two Opposite Responses to Terrorism

Submitted by The Night Owl (United States), Sep 14, 2004 at 12:12

Pipes wrote:

"Returning to recent events: the abhorrent Nepalese violence reflected an instinct for self-preservation – hit me and I will hit you back. In contrast, the sophisticated French reaction was supine – hit me and I will beg you to stop. If history is a guide, the Nepalese thereby made a repetition of atrocities against themselves less likely. And the French made such a repetition more likely."


Dr. Pipes,

Terrorists who are willing to die for their cause do not fret if their actions invite retaliation. In fact, they want retaliation because their hope is to create an escalating cycle of violence that serves only to bring people to their side.

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