What Makes a Terrorist?: Economics and the Roots of Terrorism (10th Anniversary Edition) Audiobook (Free)

Why we have to think more like economists to successfully fight terrorism If we are to correctly assess the root causes of terrorism and successfully address the threat, we must think similar to economists do. This is the argument of Alan Krueger’s WHY IS a Terrorist, a publication that clarifies why our techniques in the fight terrorism must be based on more than anecdote, intuition, and speculation. Many popular ideas about terrorists and just why they seek to harm us are fueled by falsehoods, in what Makes a Terrorist?: Economics and the Roots of Terrorism (10th Anniversary Release) misinformation, and fearmongering. Many believe that poverty and insufficient education breed terrorism, despite the wealth of evidence showing that most terrorists come from middle-class, and often college-educated, backgrounds. Krueger carefully examines the factors that motivate people to take part in terrorism, drawing inferences from terrorists’ personal backgrounds as well as the financial, social, spiritual, and political conditions in the societies from which they arrive. He identifies which countries will be the most likely mating grounds for terrorists, and those are most likely to be their targets. Krueger addresses the financial and psychological outcomes of terrorism and places the danger squarely into perspective, uncovering how our nation’s sizable economy is different and resilient more than enough to withstand the relatively limited effects of most terrorist strikes. He also calls on the press to become more accountable in reporting on terrorism. Getting needed clarity to one of the greatest difficulties of our generation, this 10th anniversary edition of WHY IS a Terrorist features a new introduction by the writer that discusses the lessons learned in the past decade through the rise of ISIS and occasions like the 2016 Pulse nightclub attack in Orlando, Florida. Author bio: Alan B. Krueger may be the Bendheim Teacher of Economics and Public Policy at Princeton University, previous chairman of President Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, and an adviser towards the Country wide Counterterrorism Center. He is the coauthor of Misconception and Dimension: The New Economics from the Least Wage (Princeton) and Inequality in America. He lives in Princeton, NJ.