Suicide bombers not poor, desperate.

Here is a short piece that expresses what social scientists researching the phenomenon of suicide bombing have learned-- that suicide bombers are largely made up of people who are, on average, more educated and better off than their communities.

This has profound implications for how we think about terrorism generally, and suicide bombing more specifically. If we cannot claim that people undertake suicide bombings because they are poor, and desperate (and therefore perhaps 'suicidal' in terms of mental condition), then perhaps we must take seriously underlying political, ideological commitments of such actors.

I have several peer-reviewed articles written by academics on this question as well. If anyone is interested, send me an email.