Year: 2003 Source: Science, v.299, no.5612, (March 2003), p.1534-1539 SIEC No: 20031135

This article addresses the misconception that contemporary suicide terrorists from the Middle East are crazed cowards bent on senseless destruction who thrive in poverty & ignorance. The author argues that recent research indicates they have no appreciable psychopathology & are as educated & economically well-off as surrounding populations. He argues that a first line of defense is to get the communities from which suicide attackers stem to stop the attacks by learning how to minimize the receptivity of mostly ordinary people to recruiting organizations. (46 refs)