Causal Analysis on Terrorism The conventional definition of terrorism portrays it as the use of violence in order to pursue political interests (Sandler, 2013). The awareness of terrorism increased along with the realization that human beings have the tendency of using violence to influence politics in order to suit their psychological, emotional, and physical needs. Likewise, terrorism has increased along with the understanding that governments can be forced to agree to the demands of specific groups. Arguably, the September 9/11 attack on the United States caught the attention of many people (Sandler, 2013). The successful attack on the most powerful nation revealed the extent of people’s vulnerability. Consequently, many studies which attempted to explain the causes of terrorism in the contemporary society emerged. In the past, scholars placed much emphasis on low-level education, few economic opportunities, and poverty as the primary facilitators of terrorism. However, terrorism has not reduced despite the implementation of interventions which focused on redressing such factors (Sandler, 2013). It means that there is still a gap in the information regarding the cause of terrorism regardless of the studies. Therefore, this paper seeks to examine terrorism as a response to political conditions while proving that low-level education, poverty, and religious and cultural differences are not the primary causes of the problem.Discussion A study conducted by Enders and Hoover (2012) to determine the relationship between poverty and terrorism forms a part of the basis underpinning this discussion. The study methodology involved the analysis of information entailing the extent of domestic and international terrorism. It also involved the estimation of models which could predict a nonlinear relationship between poverty and terrorism (Enders & Hoover, 2012). The study determined that poverty can cause terrorism, but not to the extent to which it has been exaggerated by the media and some scholars. In fact, poverty can only significantly influence domestic terrorism. The study also established that the difference in population characteristics and political freedom can facilitate terrorism relatively more compared to poverty and lack of economic opportunities (Enders & Hoover, 2012). Comment by Author: Transition between these sentences to show you are adding on a fact that helps to support the points you are making about false causes. In a different discussion, Cinar in conjunction with Epoka University (2010) reviewed several literature sources and determined that it is misleading to perceive terrorism as a response to inadequate education or lack of thereof. Likewise, the difference in ideological roots, religious, and cultural diversity are not the predominant causes of terrorism. In the past, terrorists used religion to find acceptable justification for their acts. Otherwise, religion cannot influence people to form a particular political opinion ...

1. Causal Analysis on Terrorism
The conventional definition of terrorism portrays it as the use of
violence in order to pursue political interests (Sandler, 2013).
The awareness of terrorism increased along with the realization
that human beings have the tendency of using violence to
influence politics in order to suit their psychological,
emotional, and physical needs. Likewise, terrorism has
increased along with the understanding that governments can be
forced to agree to the demands of specific groups. Arguably, the
September 9/11 attack on the United States caught the attention
of many people (Sandler, 2013). The successful attack on the
most powerful nation revealed the extent of people’s
vulnerability.
Consequently, many studies which attempted to explain the
causes of terrorism in the contemporary society emerged. In the
past, scholars placed much emphasis on low-level education,
few economic opportunities, and poverty as the primary
facilitators of terrorism. However, terrorism has not reduced
despite the implementation of interventions which focused on
redressing such factors (Sandler, 2013). It means that there is
still a gap in the information regarding the cause of terrorism
regardless of the studies. Therefore, this paper seeks to examine
terrorism as a response to political conditions while proving
that low-level education, poverty, and religious and cultural
differences are not the primary causes of the
problem.Discussion
A study conducted by Enders and Hoover (2012) to determine
the relationship between poverty and terrorism forms a part of
the basis underpinning this discussion. The study methodology
involved the analysis of information entailing the extent of
domestic and international terrorism. It also involved the
estimation of models which could predict a nonlinear
relationship between poverty and terrorism (Enders & Hoover,
2012). The study determined that poverty can cause terrorism,

2. but not to the extent to which it has been exaggerated by the
media and some scholars. In fact, poverty can only significantly
influence domestic terrorism. The study also established that the
difference in population characteristics and political freedom
can facilitate terrorism relatively more compared to poverty and
lack of economic opportunities (Enders & Hoover, 2012).
Comment by Author: Transition between these sentences to
show you are adding on a fact that helps to support the points
you are making about false causes.
In a different discussion, Cinar in conjunction with Epoka
University (2010) reviewed several literature sources and
determined that it is misleading to perceive terrorism as a
response to inadequate education or lack of thereof. Likewise,
the difference in ideological roots, religious, and cultural
diversity are not the predominant causes of terrorism. In the
past, terrorists used religion to find acceptable justification for
their acts. Otherwise, religion cannot influence people to form a
particular political opinion. Religion is an independent identity
which influences followers to adopt a specific way of life in
which loyalty to authority is a central theme (Cinar & Epoka
University, 2010). Likewise, terrorism can be understood as
lacking any ideological form or political agenda. However,
terrorists have the tendency of using particular ideologies to
advance their activities. In most cases, they use excerpts from
cultural and religious statements to convince people to join
their movement. They customize the related messages to suit
their position and portray a given government in a negative
way. Comment by Author: Comment by Author: Topic
sentence should introduce your own idea or the criteria of
analysis and then the evidence should be used to support that
topic sentence.
Human beings tend to believe in things irrespective of their
credibility, and sometimes it is difficult to change their minds
regarding such beliefs (Cinar & Epoka University, 2010). For
instance many people are affiliated with particular religious and
cultural groups even when they cannot prove the legitimacy of

3. their principles. Therefore, terrorists use such strong affiliations
to earn the loyalty of many individuals. For instance, it is
difficult for loyal members to question the teachings and
activities of terrorist groups if they are justified within the
context of a religious education (Cinar & Epoka University,
2010). This analysis reveals that religious and cultural
differences are not the primary causes of terrorism, but have
been used to justify terrorism in the contemporary society.
Comment by Author: Transition and connect to last
paragraph
People can only assume, and rightly so, that political conditions
are the primary facilitators of terrorism. The analysis of 9/11
attack on America, one of the famous and most successful
terrorist attempts in history, can be used to assess and
legitimize the assertion that terrorism is influenced by political
conditions relatively more compared to the factors discussed in
the preceding sections. Between 16th and 17th of June, 2004,
the commission formed by the United States government to
understand and respond to the attack sought to determine what
motivated such occurrences. The question provoked a further
and thorough analysis of the data collected by various security
agencies in the country. Various organizations, including the
FBI, concurred that the terrorists were motivated by the opinion
that the United States had been imposing their ideologies in the
Middle East, thus undermining the sovereignty of many nations
such as Palestine (Nia, 2010). They also claimed that the
terrorists were opposed to other nations meddling in the
political affairs of their countries but targeted America because
it was leading in the interferences.
At the time of the attack, several superpower nations openly
condemned and tried to influence the political affairs in
Palestine. The United States foreign policy favored Israel over
Palestine, thus provoking negative reactions from a larger
section of leaders from the region. In separate circumstances,
leaders from the Middle East condemned America for trying to
impose their opinions, leadership, economic practices, religious

4. practices, and culture on other nations. Additionally, the United
States has a long hostile history with countries of the Middle
East. Consequently, the involvement of the American leaders in
the Middle East affairs was likely to be interpreted as an
attempt to control the region and its resources. Hence, the
attack on the United States was politically instigated and
strategized to create panic around the world (Nia, 2010;
Sandler, 2013). If America could be attacked, then it meant that
no country in the world was safe.
The 9/11 case provides a platform for assessing how specific
political conditions
may facilitate terrorism. Terrorism is similar to war because it
promotes the continuation of a given political agenda.
Arguably, terrorism has been a central part of politics since the
realization that people hold different political ideologies and
may be willing to protect such opinions at all costs. Terrorist
types are characterized by the attempt to influence change in
political systems through violence despite the perceived
differences in their causes. The rationale is that a substantial
cause of panic can make people criticize their governments,
consequently promoting unplanned change. For instance,
Americans pushed their leaders to review their foreign policies
which favored Israel following the attack (Nia, 2011). A critical
analysis of the case reveals that they felt insecure and were
afraid of experiencing another attack. The extent of the damage
and loss of life caused by the incident was devastating and
surprising. In the past, people believed that America had the
most stable security. It can be argued that the Al-Qaeda
succeeded in its mission because Americans acted predictably.
In most cases, terrorists accuse governments of oppressing them
and infringing on their rights as explained by Marx Weber (Nia,
2011). Marx Weber’s opinions regarding the conceptualization
and causes of crime have been considered orthodox by many
scholars in the contemporary society (Nia, 2011). In fact, they
can be used to contextualize terrorism and support the ongoing
argument. According to Marx, conflicts tend to exist between

5. the low-class and high-class members across the world. Political
leaders belong to the wealthy and powerful categories of people
in every country. Such people serve in positions where they can
influence processes to favor their ambitions regardless of
society's resistance. For instance, they own and manipulate
production processes, thus making it difficult for low-class
members to experience upward mobility. Likewise, government
policies tend to favor them at the expense of the rest of the
community. For instance, the government tends to impose
unreasonable barriers to SMEs aiming to break into various
industries. This approach aims at protecting existing
corporations due to their perceived critical role in the growth of
the economy. The government believes that corporations tend to
employ many people, thus should be protected. The related
trade policies limit the chances of growth among SMEs and
low-class members of the community. In the end, they are
forced to provide cheap labor because all the production
processes have been monopolized by the government.
Comment by Author: Transition – moving from extended
example into analysis
Marx Weber’s arguments claim that sometimes people resort to
violence as a last resort or when they feel that they are likely to
face a lot of challenges while attempting to convince the
government to review the existing policies. Some of domestic
terrorism begins as social movements aiming at representing
and advancing the agendas of the low-class members of the
community. Later, they resort to violence when the government
refuses to address their needs. International terrorism such as
the one which happened in America can be considered a larger
reflection of domestic terrorism. Foreign terrorists may feel that
it is their need to protect their country or their friends from the
invasion of foreigners. For instance, America and Palestine
were considered superior and inferior forces respectively.
Therefore, the Al-Qaeda group concluded that it was not
possible for Palestine to oppose and influence change in
America’s international politics using formal channels.

6. Consequently, they used violence to send a message to the rest
of the world and persuade America to stop interfering in the
politics of the Middle East. They also sought to assert that
Palestine was a sovereign nation and had the right to decide on
its leadership and the direction of its international relations
with Israel without America’s influence. Conclusion
This paper has provided a definition and historical context of
terrorism. It has established that terrorism should not be
perceived as a response to low education levels, poverty, and
limited opportunities. Such factors can only arise if a political
system has flaws and is biased towards the wealthy and
powerful members of the society. The discussion has also
proved that terrorists use culture and religion extensively to
cover up their real intentions and create social agendas. To
show that terrorism is caused by political conditions, the
discussion has first demystified the related myths. It has also
used 9/11 terrorism case as the basis for understanding how
politics can cause terrorism, as well as how people are likely to
behave in such circumstances. The paper has also used Marx
Weber’s theory on the occurrence of conflicts to explain how it
is possible for political conditions to facilitate terrorism. The
same opinions can be applied in the context of international
relations. Terrorism may persist as long as people are willing to
use violence to influence politics. It is also likely to continue
because absolute democracy cannot be attained. There will
always be a group of people who are not satisfied with political
processes.
References
Cinar, B., & Epoka University. (2010). Can terrorism be
prevented? Combating terrorism in a liberal democracy.
Albania: Epoka University.
Couto, R. A. (2011). The politics of terrorism: Power,

7. legitimacy, and violence. Integral review, 6(1), 63-81.
Enders, W., & Hoover, G. A. (2012). The nonlinear relationship
between terrorism and poverty. The American Economic
Review, 102(3), 267-272.
Nia, M. M. (2010). From old to new terrorism: The changing
nature of international security. Globality Studies Journal,
18(1), 1-20.
Sandler, T. (2013). The analytical study of terrorism taking
stock. Journal of Peace Research, 1-15. doi:
10.1177/0022343313491277.
Instruction
Response to Dylan’s persuasive presentation
1- Summary of this speech: someone in the class did persuasive
presentation and I as a classmate I'm going to response to my
classmate presentation and disagree with the topic used in the
assignments. Quick summary
2- So, the instruction of my speech will be: Source
Requirement: For this speech required to use at least three (3)
credible sources. Additionally, you must reference at least one
other position offered by a classmate in the second round of
performances, and focus your speech in response to that [those]
perspectives. Additionally, do not use websites such as
Wikipedia, About.com, AskJeeves,or other such online
encyclopedias.
3- Finally, although encouraged, interviews, personal
correspondence, atlases, dictionaries and encyclopedias do not
count toward your total number of sources—though they must
be listed in the bibliography and properly cited within the
outline.

8. HOW TO WRITE THE PRESENTATION!!!
Topic: In it you must accomplish four things:
1) Demonstrate an understanding of the perspective offered by
at least one other classmate in their presentation from the
second round of speeches (persuasive speech). This means you
must accurately summarize their position;
2) Discuss the areas where you agree, but focus on where you
disagree with their position, and explain why you disagree with
their position;
3) Restate your position and explain how it may have changed
as a result of the presentations by your classmates;
4) Engage your fellow classmates regarding their three minute
statements. This is civil dialogic response to positions taken by
other people demonstrating an understanding, but not
necessarily an agreement with their ideas and positions.
Persuasive Outline Template
Monroe’s Motivated Sequence
Name _Dylan
Burkhart_____________________________________________
___
Topic: _Lowering the Drinking Age to 18
_______________________________________________
Thesis: _Drinking age should be lowered to 18 because
adulthood begins at 18, drunk driving is an issue no matter what
the age is, and other countries have drinking age of 18 and they
are
fine._______________________________________________
Attention Step: Gain the attention of your audience.
Introduction:

9. I. Attention Graber: As many people know, drinking is a huge
issue at college campuses even at UD
II. Reveal topic: I believe that the drinking age can and
should be lowered to 18
II. Credibility: After doing research and from my own personal
experience, I believe the drinking age should be lowered.
III. Preview your main point: Thesis says this
Transition: __First, we need to talk about the issue that is the
drinking
age.______________________________________________
I. Need Step: Create awareness of a problem and the need for
change.
A. Adulthood begins at 18 and you should be able to
Drink at 18
1. Joining the military and being able to vote
2. If you are able to live on your own, you should be
able to handle some alchohol
B. Deaths can actually be reduced from alcohol in 18-20
year olds 1. Drinking by people underage is
usually done in secret, so no one is around to promote good
drinking behaviors or responsible drinking
2.Underage people also tend to drink more at
once because they never know when to drink again C. Other
countries have drinking ages of 18 and have less problems with
drinking then there is in the US.
1. Name a few countries whose drinking ages are 18-
Germany, England, European countries
2. Europeans drink more, but americans die more
from drinking
Transition: __Next, I will tell you how to be able to lower the
drinking age to
18___________________________________________________
II. Satisfaction Step: Satisfy the need with the solution to the
problem.
A. With enough initiative, we could get the drinking age

10. on the ballot but we would need a lot of support
B. Even if the age is lower, we could stop drunk driving
in many other ways
You may have additional sub points for one or both of these
Transition: Next, some benefits of why the drinking age should
be
18___________________________________________________
____
III. Visualization Step: Intensify interest by visualizing
benefits.
A. IT would allow for more freedom among 18-20 year
olds
1. If would give these ages more confidence that they
are truly and adult if the drinking age was 18.
2. This country is all about freedom then why are 18-
20 year olds given this restriction when they can do almost
anything else.
B. There would be many less problems with underage
drinking
1. Kids wouldn’t feel the need to drink underage
2. Much less underage arrests for drinking
Transition In
conclusion,___________________________________________
_____________
IV. Conclusion or Action Step: Call audience to act with
specific “call to action”
A. Signpost
B. Summary Lowering the drinking age to 18 would be
helpful for many reasons
C. Call for action With enough help, we might be able to
make this a national issue but we would need some help
D. Closing/Clincher5_ Hopefully after this you share
some of the same views I do on the drinking age, Thank you.
References: (MLA format)
"15 Reasons Why Drinking Age Should Be 18 - Cognac.com."

11. Cognaccom. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.
"APIS - The 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act." U.S
National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of
Medicine, n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.
Engs, Dr. Ruth, "Why Drinking Age Should Be Lowered: Dr.
Ruth Engs." Indiana.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.
Tietjen, Denali. "Why 21? A Look at Our Nation’s Drinking
Age." Boston.com. The New York Times, n.d. Web. 01 Nov.
2016.
Tucker, Jeffrey A. "The Drinking Age Should Be Lowered,
Fast." Newsweek. N.p., 2016. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.