Week 8: Violent Extremism, War & Conflict

Question 1

What is war?

Answer 1

Violent conflict that is universally condemned, it is contagious with surrounding countries and usually persists for generations/are intractable (not easily controlled)

Question 2

What are the three material ‘functions’ of war and conflict?

Answer 2

• To gain territory or wealth
• Fuel an economy
• Export ideologies and culture

Question 3

What are the two psychological ‘functions’ of war and conflict?

Answer 3

• Provides meaning
• Builds ingroup solidarity

Question 4

What is the relationship between meaning, salience, and conflict? And what four countries have shown this effect?

Answer 4

Conflict salience increases meaning, and therefor generates more support for conflict; Seen in the US, Jewish Israelis, French, Belgium

Question 5

Why does ingroup solidarity increase during conflict?

Answer 5

Because human’s ‘pull together’ when facing external threats.

Question 6

What is “intergroup sensitivity effect” and how does this change under conflict and war?

Answer 6

The idea that people are more tolerant and less defensive of in-group criticism because they believe you have the best intentions for your group at heart. This flips during conflict because you don’t want to see weakness in your country.

Question 7

What is the fortress myth?

Answer 7

People have wishful thinking about war efforts and underestimate the enemy, overinflating your own countries power.

Question 8

What is Moral Disengagement, from Bandura?

Answer 8

Sidestepping moral standards of behavior in a way that allows people to behave immorally, insulating themselves from the consequences of their actions; Reframing destructive behaviors as morally acceptable.

Question 9

What are the seven types of moral disengagement when it comes to conflict and war?

Answer 9

• Moral Justification
• Euphemistic Labelling
• Advantageous Comparison
• Displacement of Responsibility
• Diffusion of Responsibility
• Minimizing consequences
• Attributing Blame
• Dehuminisation

Question 10

What is Moral Justification in terms of Moral Disengagement with conflict and war?

Answer 10

The behavior viewed as ends justifying the means.

Question 11

What is Euphemistic Labelling in terms of Moral Disengagement with conflict and war?

Answer 11

Disguises violent behavior under more respectable terms, e.g., collateral damage

Question 12

What is Advantageous Comparison in terms of Moral Disengagement with conflict and war?

Answer 12

Contrasting your behavior against the enemies more violent behavior, engaging utilitarian thinking.

Question 13

What is Displacement of responsibility in terms of Moral Disengagement with conflict and war?

Answer 13

Removes personal responsibility to a leader or figure higher up.

Question 14

What is Diffusion of Responsibility in terms of Moral Disengagement with conflict and war?

Answer 14

Feel less responsible for violence when there is others in the group committing violence or violence occurs through a series of routine activities, e.g., Looking for places to send missiles

Question 15

What is Minimizing the Consequences in terms of Moral Disengagement with conflict and war?

Answer 15

Distorting or minimizing the harmful effects of ones behavior, such as ignoring death counts etc.

Question 16

What is Attribution of Blame in terms of Moral Disengagement with conflict and war?

Answer 16

Blaming victims for mistreatment and not the goals of the engaging country.

Question 17

What is Dehumanization in terms of Moral Disengagement with conflict and war, and what two ways does it attack humanity?

Answer 17

When you view enemies or victims as lacking human qualities, helping people to ignore human uniqueness (animals/monsters) and nature (robots) to make it easier to be insensitive to human killing.

Question 18

What are the two main properties of propaganda that makes it effective?

Answer 18

It usually focuses on the internal audience and legitimizes war through skewed political opinions and blatant outgroup aggression through dehumanized depictions of the enemy as “pure evil”/an enemy image

Question 19

What are the three key elements of terrorism?

Answer 19

• Violence against non-combatants
• Influence a target audience to change their behavior to serve terrorist interests.
• Intended to create a fearful state

Question 20

What are the three main challenges of studying terrorism?

Answer 20

• There is a broad spectrum of terrorist organization types
• Who is a terrorist depends on who is doing the research
• 80% of the literature is not based on terrorism because they don’t volunteer for scientific research and there is a high risk

Question 21

What are some of the common theme of terrorism?

Answer 21

• Social marginalization
• Shame and Humiliation
• Sense of injustice
• Vengeance
• Status
• Ideologies
• Capacity to suppress instinctive/learned moral constraints

Question 22

What is the staircase to terrorism model from Moghaddam in 2005?

Answer 22

There is a methodical progression toward committing a terrorist act that involves 6 metaphorical floors that provide a psychological explanation for terrorism.

Question 23

What are the 6 floors of the staircase to terrorism?

Answer 23

1. Interpretation of material conditions
2. Perceived option to fight injustice
3. Displacement of Aggression
4. Moral engagement
5. Categorical thinking/perceived legitimacy of terrorist organizations
6. terrorist act, sidestepping inhibitory mechanisms

Question 24

What is the significance-quest theory from kurglanski et al., 2014/2019? And how does it link to terrorism?

Answer 24

The idea that significance/meaning are fundamental human need, and this is impacted by our sense of deprivation regarding lack of rights or purpose. This is combatted by joining groups, which can encourage people to join radicalized/extremist groups leading to terrorism.

Question 25

What are the three N’s of significance quest theory?

Answer 25

• Need for personal significance
• Narrative’s that can provide meaning
• Network of support from friends and family

Question 26

What are two deterrence strategies against terrorism?

Answer 26

• Denial strategy: no negotiation/harsh punishments for terrorists.
• Reintegrative punishment strategy: Punish with leniency if they renounce terrorism, reducing alienation and deprivation to increase a sense of justice and reintroduce them to society.

Question 27

What are five ways we can de-radicalize terrorists based on the staircase to terrorism model?

Answer 27

• Prioritize prevention
• Don’t hunt terrorists as they can be easily replaced
• Avoid us vs them ideas, which push people up the staircase
• highlight procedural justice
• Increase dialogues with terrorists to understand them better