Jessica Stern

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A relative of a hostage captured by Hamas in Kibbutz Nir Oz, Israel, December 2023. Amir Cohen / Reuters

MundoOriente Próximo

Every perpetrator of terrorism sees himself as a victim. Such is the case not only with individual terrorists, who often compete with their enemies over who is more victimized, but also with terrorist groups and nation states. Terrorism is psychological warfare, and so it requires a psychologically informed response. Those who study trauma know that “hurt people hurt people”, and the adage holds true for terrorists. People who live in a state of existential anxiety are prone to dehumanizing others. Hamas, for instance, calls Israelis “infidels”, while the Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has referred to members of Hamas as “human animals”, and both sides have called the other “Nazis”.…  Seguir leyendo »

How Terror Hardens Us

InternacionalTerrorismo Internacional

We Americans are living through a dread-inducing age — of school shootings and suicide bombers, of racist terror and mass murder, of enemies who broadcast terrifying pronouncements against us. We are not used to living with such bewildering uncertainty. Civilians are not collateral damage in this seemingly endless war; they are the preferred target.

We feel vulnerable in many different places where we used to feel safe — in cafes or at concerts, at sporting events, at home or at work. The killers are not just those coming in from abroad, but they are already here, some even born here, seemingly ready to strike at any moment.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoOriente PróximoInternacionalTerrorismo Internacional,

Iraq, President George W. Bush said in 2003, was a “central front” in the war on terrorism. He was wrong, but prescient. Iraq has become a front for militant extremism — a front the United States created.

Leaving aside everything else — the absence of weapons of mass destruction, the toll in blood and fortune, the immense loss of life — the 10th anniversary of the invasion, is a moment to reflect on this huge setback in the so-called war on terror.

The Qaeda affiliate that emerged in Iraq over the last decade did not disappear when Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011 or when the last American troops withdrew in December.…  Seguir leyendo »

ReflexionesSocial

For the past 20 years, I have studied the causes of evil and violence. Until recently, I never questioned why I was drawn to this work or why I was able to do it. Now I finally have an answer to the questions: How could a "girl" like you visit terrorist training camps in Pakistan? Weren't you afraid?

I wasn't aware that I was afraid. After a series of traumas, one can lose the capacity to feel fear appropriately.

On Oct. 1, 1973, my sister and I biked home from ballet class. We were doing our homework in our living room in Concord, Mass.,…  Seguir leyendo »