Briefly describe the history of the formation of Saudi Arabia. How has the history of this country influenced the development of terrorism in the region, if at all.
How did the fall of the Ottoman Empire lead to the creation of the modern states of the Middle East and North Africa?
What are the implications of the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in WWII for the evolution of modern-day terrorism?
Trace and describe the evolution of Al-Queda. Identify three of the most defining events or influences in its history and explain your selection.
Briefly summarize the events transpiring in the Middle East and North Africa as a result of the Arab Spring. As a result of these events, do you think support and recruitment for terrorist groups in this region will increase or decrease over the next several years. Support your answer. (Note: for this question, you will need to draw on and cite outside sources such as newspaper and magazine articles).
What is the main research question Silke is seeking to answer? How does this research fill a gap or gaps in the literature?
What is the main critique(s) Silke (2008) makes about the current research on jihadi radicalization? How does his article not suffer from the same defects? How would you solve this research dilemma?
What factors does Silke (2008) offer for why people become radicalized and join terrorist groups? Does he give more weight to one factor or set of factors over another? Do you agree with his conclusions? Why or why not?
What does Plummer identify as the main problem with previous research on failed states and terrorism? How does she propose to solve this problem?
What two states does Plummer use for her case study? Why did she choose these two states? What other states might you have selected for the purpose of this research?
What are the main factors related to failed states and terrorism that Plummer focuses on? Why did she choose those factors?
What are the main conclusions drawn by Plummer. Do you agree with these conclusions? Why or why not? What other approaches might you use to explore similar questions?
