Poverty & Terrorism
Alan B Krueger examined 781 terrorist incidents the US state department deemed “significant,” & found that the attackers were from countries with political oppression, not poverty. Some 15 of the 19 hijackers on 11 September 2001 came from wealthy families in a prosperous country - Saudi Arabia. Osama Bin Laden’s background was opulent; Ayman al-Zawahiri is an affluent paediatrician.
The poorest countries, such as Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Eritrea and Liberia, have experienced vicious conflict, but little terrorism.