CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2021
| Author | Benny, Brandon Videsh |
|---|---|
| Title | The Role Of Suicide Terrorism In National Movements: The Tamil Case |
| Summary | Suicide terrorism is controversial to its core. There is much that can be learned from one of its most exploited users—the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. This insurgent group escalated suicide terrorism as it served as a catalyst for their armed campaign for a separate Tamil homeland independent of Sri Lanka. Research has shown that suicide terrorism is logical, strategic, and advantageous because of its success as a bargaining tool. Nevertheless, prior study focuses too heavy on suicide terrorism as a strategy and does not adequately address the role of suicide terrorism in national movements, in this case the Sri Lankan Civil War. This thesis argues that the group weaponized nationalism, through suicide terrorism, and legitimized its usage as defense against the oppressive regimes in Colombo. This argument is supported through a longitudinal study that maps out critical junctures within the civil war, document and text analyses of primary sources, and a sentiment analysis of the group’s leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. The focus of this thesis centers on the meaning, justification, and purpose of suicide terrorism situated with a history of ethnic rivalry. In specific, this thesis also reviews current literature and theories of suicide terrorism and applies it to the case in an attempt to answer how exactly suicide terrorism can survive within the backdrop of a national struggle. |
| Supervisor | Erin K. Jenne |
| Department | International Relations MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2021/benny_brandon-videsh.pdf |
Visit the CEU Library.
© 2007-2021, Central European University