What Makes a Terrorist - Book Review

Since the killing of Osama Bin Laden, I have been thinking more about terrorism and a book that I read in 2008 by Alan Krueger, a professor of economics and Princeton. The book is titled What Makes a Terrorist: Economics and the Roots of Terrorism.

This book is based on a series of 3 lectures that take a deep look at the roots and causes of terrorism. The first lecture is a micro-level analysis of individuals, the second lecutre is a macro-analysis of countries and political conditions, and the third lecture describes the economic and other consequences of terrorism.

While Krueger is not able to answer all the questions that we may have about this problem, he does an excellent job of examining and explaining the current research to paint a cohesive picture of the circumstances that terrorism is most likely to thrive in. In fact, he presents compelling evidence that dispels the common notion that terrorism is caused by poverty and a lack of education.

This book helps broaden ones understanding of a current issue that media outlets and politicians tend to misunderstand and misrepresent. I recommend this for anyone interested in learning more about terrorism from an academic standpoint.

Amazon Link