Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Losing your audience: Desistance from terrorism in Egypt after Luxor

2008; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 1; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/17467580902853051

1746-7594

Joseph Wheatley, Clark McCauley,

Middle East Politics and Society

Abstract On 17 November 1997, terrorists affiliated with the Islamic Group massacred 62 people, mostly foreign tourists, in Luxor, one of Egypt's foremost historical sites. Within a year, much of what remained of the Islamic Group had renounced violence, a rare step for a terrorist group. How did this fast desistance come about? Our case study indicates that Egyptian society experienced a major shift in its relationship with the Islamic Group and extremist Islamism in general. The massacre's economic and political repercussions permitted a moral claim against terrorism that was unlimited in its application, a claim the government used to its advantage. Sympathy and support for terrorism collapsed after what appeared at first to be a terrorist triumph at Luxor. Keywords: asymmetric conflictterrorismpolitical violence Acknowledgements This research was supported by the US Department of Homeland Security through the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), grant number N00140510629. However, any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect views of the US Department of Homeland Security or the views of the US Department of Justice. Notes †The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Justice or the USA. 1. Douglas Jehl, "At Ancient Site Along the Nile, Modern Horror," New York Times, 19 November 1997. 2. Ibid, A1. 3. S. Gauch, "Terror Attack That Cost Egypt Billions Now Costs Militants Support of People," Christian Science Monitor, 17 December 1997, 7. 4. M.K. 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