Root Causes of Terrorism

Can we use data to predict terrorism?

In the interest of counter terrorism, attention is drawn towards the possibility of extrapolating existing information on terrorism incidents in order to explain or even predict future attacks. While the task of prediction is beyond the reach of analytical research, opportunities to understand the preconditions of terrorism are identified in the possibility to explore and analyse the quantifiable root causes of terrorism that exist within the structure of societies. Aiming to provide policy makers with a framework for analysing the underlying factors in society that may be linked to terrorism, this research identified key structural factors to be quantitatively analysed for its correlation with the frequency of terrorism. An interactive visualization tool is also designed in order to make the analytical framework developed here more accessible to end users.