The Root Causes of Terrorism in the Middle East and North Africa: Contradictions and Trends

Abstract

This thesis examines the relationships and contradictions of the root causes of terrorism in the Middle East and North Africa between 2002 and 2016. A mixed-methods approach was utilized to collect and evaluate the relationships between several cases. These cases were placed into two categories depending on the amount of terrorism present. A historical synopsis of each country and an analysis of numerous variables was performed. There was an evaluation of trends to determine root causes. Many common misconceptions and contradictions of the causes of terrorism were outlined to determine accuracy. An overall evaluation of variables, some of which are often attributed to terrorism rates, occurred to determine the true underlying root causes of terrorism. In the conclusion, overall findings suggest that type of instability and hybrid regimes are correlated with amount of terrorism.