Efforts to Control Terrorism in the Middle East

Abstract

When considering counter-terrorism, most imagine policies aimed at punishing terrorists and deterring potential terrorist acts. This is understandable because repressive policies attract media attention and help politicians get reelected. Yet, after only a brief consideration we quickly realize that decisions to commit terrorist acts are likely sensitive to a wider range of government actions — not just the repressive ones. This presentation describes efforts by Laura Dugan and Erica Chenoweth to document all actions Middle Eastern governments take that are directed toward terrorist organizations or their constituencies resulting in the Government Actions in Terror Environments (GATE) database. I present a brief overview of GATE data collected from five countries, an analysis of Israel and the Palestinian conflict based on a refreshing perspective of rational choice theory, and preliminary findings from three other countries.