Terrorist attacks function as power displays to attract recruits

Evidence

Broadcasting claims of responsibility for death and destruction serves another important function. Well-organized terrorist organizations use destructive exploits as a show of power over their enemies. Terrorist successes—or the image terrorists project of having the power and will to inflict heavy losses on their opponents—can attract recruits and help broaden a group’s support base (Kydd & Walter, 2006). — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2264

Well-organized terrorist operations use destructive exploits as a show of power over their enemies. … These successes strengthen the motivation to forge ahead with their cause and to attract recruits (Kydd & Walter, 2006). — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2154

Categorization

• QUESTION: Distinguishes actual capability from projected image - worth chasing whether perceived power alone sustains recruitment.
• XREF: Connects to signaling theory from the law-merchant readings — institutions emerge to solve information problems; here violence itself is a costly signal of group capability.
• corroborated: 4 independent passages support this claim — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 2264; Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 2154