The Terrorist Group-Political Group Dyad
Presentation
Overview
Overview
Description
The classical interpretation of side payments is they form part of a selective incentive program designed to recruit supporters and militants. Empirical evidence from Northern Ireland and the Israeli Occupied Territories does not support this claim. This finding leaves us with a conundrum. Side payments do not seem to matter, yet they exist. Why would terrorist organizations spend precious resources to provide side payments that apparently matter very little? One potential explanation is that side payments are part of an effort that combines a violent paramilitary campaign with a socio-political organization. The coordination of these activities generates tolerance in the constituent community towards the seemingly counterproductive actions of the terrorist organization. Higher social tolerance enables the military wing to maintain higher levels of violence to advance their goals. In essence, side payments are part of a “winning the hearts and minds” of the constituents by deepening the connective tissue between constituents and the terrorists.
