Common myths of terrorism

Abstract

Drawing from statements by politicians, the media, policy analysts, and researchers, the current study identifies nine myths associated with terrorism and the practice of counterterrorism. We focus on those myths that have special policy relevance since the four al-Qaida hijackings on September 11, 2001, and the ensuing heightened security concern. Many of those myths generated research articles that, at times, come to contradictory conclusions. Our goal is to provide recent statistics and a literature evaluation to sort out such contradictory results. In the case of the alleged macroeconomic consequences of terrorism to a typical country, we supply updated estimations. Throughout our presentation, we draw from the post-2001 literature or statistical evidence. Often, empirical methods and procedures have evolved to a point where more clear-cut and robust findings are now available through better identification and advanced estimation procedures.