Democracy, Foreign Policy, and Terrorism

Burcu Savun and Brian J. Phillips
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Burcu Savun: Department of Political Science University of Pittsburgh
Brian J. Phillips: Department of Political Science University of Pittsburgh

Journal of Conflict Resolution, 2009, vol. 53, issue 6, 878-904

Abstract: This article takes a closer look at the relationship between democracy and transnational terrorism. It investigates what it is about democracies that make them particularly vulnerable to terrorism from abroad. The authors suggest that states that exhibit a certain type of foreign policy behavior, regardless of their regime type, are likely to attract transnational terrorism. States that are actively involved in international politics are likely to create resentment abroad and hence more likely to be the target of transnational terrorism than are states that pursue a more isolationist foreign policy. Democratic states are more likely to be targeted by transnational terrorist groups not because of their regime type per se but because of the type of foreign policy they tend to pursue. The empirical analysis provides support for the argument.

Keywords: domestic terrorism; transnational terrorism; democracy; foreign policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (42)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:jocore:v:53:y:2009:i:6:p:878-904

DOI: 10.1177/0022002709342978

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