Is Terrorism Really a Weapon of the Weak? Debunking the Conventional Wisdom

Virginia Page Fortna

Journal of Conflict Resolution, 2023, vol. 67, issue 4, 642-671

Abstract: That terrorism is a “weapon of the weak†is such deeply held conventional wisdom it has become almost a cliché. “Weak†means many different things in the literature, however, and little rigorous empirical research has tested the contention that weaker groups, however conceived, are more likely to employ terrorism. This article explores prominent weapon of the weak arguments to develop testable hypotheses about group strength and the prevalence of terrorism. Using measures of deliberately indiscriminate attacks on civilians by rebel groups in civil conflicts, as well as multiple measures of rebel strength, it examines systematically whether weaker groups are more likely to employ terrorism. I find surprisingly little empirical support for the conventional wisdom. There is no clear or consistent evidence that deliberately indiscriminate terrorism is a weapon of the weak rather than the strong.

Keywords: terrorism; civil wars; rebellion; capabilities; civilian casualties; conflict; internal armed conflict; power (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:jocore:v:67:y:2023:i:4:p:642-671

DOI: 10.1177/00220027221121143

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