The Financing of Terrorism

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer examines and analyzes the financing of terrorism. The writer's analysis is divided into successive components entitled: Forms of Financing, Motivations for Financing Terrorism, Exploitation of the Media, and Disturbing Trends. The final sections offer a solution to the problem of terrorism. In addition, the writer provides a concluding commentary concerning the consequences if the fundamental causes of terrorism are not addressed through Western foreign policy changes and alternative fuels are not developed so reliance on Middle East oil can be ended.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Forms of Financing
Motivations for Financing Terrorism
Exploitation of the Media
Disturbing Trends
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Terrorists, of course, do not consider themselves to be irrational or self-righteous, they believe they are defending Muslims from Western domination and economic exploitation. Millions of Muslims throughout the Middle East share this belief, and help fund terrorist groups by making contributions to Islamic charities, which greatly exacerbates the difficulties for Western governments and intelligence agencies trying to cut off the financing of terrorism.
"The fundamental problem in combating the exploitation of Islamic charities by terrorist groups is the fact that the act of charity forms a very important part of Muslim law and tradition."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ehrenfeld, Rachel. Funding Evil: How Terrorism is Financed and How to Stop It. New York: Bonus Books, 2003.
• Gunaratna, Rohan. Inside al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror. New York: Berkley Publishing Group, 2003.
• Looney, Robert. "The Mirage of Terrorist Financing: The Case of Islamic Charities." Strategic Insights, Volume V, Issue 3 (March 2006). Center for Contemporary Conflict.
• Norris, Pippa. Framing Terrorism: The News Media, the Government and the Public. New York: Routledge, 2003.
• Rice-Oxley, Mark. "Why Terror Financing is So Hard to Track Down." Christian Science Monitor. March 8, 2006.

More papers on The Financing of Terrorism:

• Research Paper # 134036 : "The Financing of Terrorism"
• Research Paper # 23733 : "Global Terrorism: The Alignment of Terrorist Groups"
• Book Review # 95109 : "Seeds of Terror"

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