What motivates suicide bombers in Iraq and around the world? Can winning the hearts and minds of local populations stop them? Will the phenomenon spread to the United States? These vital questions are at the heart of this important book. Mia Bloom examines the use, strategies, successes, and failures of suicide bombing in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe and assesses the effectiveness of government responses. She argues that in many instances the efforts of Israel, Russia, and the United States in Iraq have failed to deter terrorism and suicide bombings. Bloom also considers how terrorist groups learn from one another, how they respond to counterterror tactics, the financing of terrorism, and the role of suicide attacks against the backdrop of larger ethnic and political conflicts.

Bloom explores how suicide terror is used to achieve the goals of terrorist groups: To instill public fear, attract international news coverage, gain support for their cause, and create solidarity or competition between disparate terrorist organizations. She contends that it is often social and political motivations rather than inherently religious ones that inspire suicide bombers.

The book is published by Columbia University Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

"This lucid and comprehensive study of the historical roots and contemporary motivations of suicide terror is a major study." (Publishers Weekly)

"An insightful investigation into the internal workings of terrorist groups." (Foreword)

"A great introduction for students and those wishing to know more about the complex motivations of suicide bombers." (Altar Magazine)