Comments on: Terrorism & Trade: Any Connection? http://www.tradediversion.net/archives/2006/09/terrorism-trade-any-connection.html Commentary on development, globalization, and trade by Jonathan Dingel Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:16:24 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: george pieler http://www.tradediversion.net/archives/2006/09/terrorism-trade-any-connection.html/comment-page-1#comment-87 george pieler Sat, 16 Sep 2006 02:55:11 +0000 http://www.tradediversion.net/?p=255#comment-87 You are right to conclude our discussion of the paper by Klemmensen et al. was based on a later version: in this case, the version presented by Robert Klemmensen at a November, 2005 symposium in Washington DC sponsored by the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung, where the authors expressed appreciation for editorial comments offered after the May, 2005 George Mason event. The November version includes the following language: "the perhaps most important and novel finding is that there are consistent, negative associations between how trade-oriented a society is and the probability that it will experience transnational terrorism or generate transnational terrorism. In other words, people who trade a lot seem to be less likely to experience or engage in terrorist acts involving other countries." This does not 'prove' openness to trade defeats terrorism, but it strongly suggests such openness is a strong marker of greater resistance to transnational terrorism, and (pending further studies) may indeed be a key element of political and social structures that (controlling for other factos) demonstrate more resistance to terror. George A. Pieler You are right to conclude our discussion of the paper by Klemmensen et al. was based on a later version: in this case, the version presented by Robert Klemmensen at a November, 2005 symposium in Washington DC sponsored by the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung, where the authors expressed appreciation for editorial comments offered after the May, 2005 George Mason event.

The November version includes the following language: “the perhaps most important and novel finding is that there are consistent, negative associations between how trade-oriented a society is and the probability that it will experience transnational terrorism or generate transnational terrorism. In other words, people who trade a lot seem to be less likely to experience or engage in terrorist acts involving other countries.” This does not ‘prove’ openness to trade defeats terrorism, but it strongly suggests such openness is a strong marker of greater resistance to transnational terrorism, and (pending further studies) may indeed be a key element of political and social structures that (controlling for other factos) demonstrate more resistance to terror.

George A. Pieler

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