Terrorism’s political context shapes its motivations and psychological effects

Evidence

Furthermore, the situations in which terrorism occurs vary along a number of dimensions. Political contexts include democracies as well as authoritarian regimes and states ranging from strong to weak in coercive capability and political stability. Legal systems may be flexible or rigid in dealing with violent opposition. Target societies may be homogeneous or heterogeneous, and history and political culture may be tolerant or intolerant of violence against the state. The international environment can be permissive or discouraging. Several types of terrorism occur in this range of contexts. The organizational forms and capabilities of terrorist organizations and the environments they operate in are related to both motivations and psychological consequences. Any model of terrorism must take into account the varieties and the interactive dynamics of the process. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 4076

Categorization

• XREF: Echoes the systems-level contingency thinking in Milgrom’s institutional analysis of trade — context determines which structures emerge.