November 9, 2004

Freedom squelches terrorist violence Harvard Gazette - A John F. Kennedy School of Government researcher has cast doubt on the widely held belief that terrorism stems from poverty, finding instead that terrorist violence is related to a nation's level of political freedom. 'In the past, we heard people refer to the strong link between terrorism and poverty, but ... when you look at the data, it's not there. This is true not only for events of international terrorism ... but ... also for the overall level of terrorism, both of domestic and of foreign origin.' How does this jibe with Iraq? "When you go from an autocratic regime and make the transition to democracy, you may expect a temporary increase in terrorism," Abadie said. 3:30:32 PM