Terror strikes Moscow

A man injured in the suicide bombing at Domodedovo Airport is treated by emergency workers. (Ivan Sekretarev/Associated Press)

A suicide bomber detonated what appears to have been a rather  large bomb at Domodedovo Airport in Moscow today.  According to the latest reports, 35 people have been killed and 152 injured. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but militants from the North Caucasus, who have been held responsible for a number of attacks in recent years, are suspected.

In  his book, Dying to Win, terrorism expert Robert Pape argues that suicide terrorism is a rational strategy used by organizations who perceive that their homeland is occupied by a foreign, democratic power. That the occupying power has a democratic government is important because suicide terrorism is meant to target civilian populations who would then pressure their government to abandon its occupation. If the government does not respond to the will of the people, suicide terrorism is unlikely to be effective. This begs the question: why is Russia falling victim to suicide terrorism?