>The lack of deaths is not a function of desire on the part of terrorists to cause death, but just their ability to do so.
I don't necessarily agree. Terrorists are people with a point to make who view violence as the preferable way to make it (usually out of desperation).
Numbers are pretty much never the point (any more than companies set out to kill as many people as possible with pollutants). The symbol is what's important. The world trade center. Mosques. Gay bars. All representative of what the attacker views as a corrupting influence on society in their own worldview.
I also suspect that if it was less widely disseminated a different strategy would be used, i.e. just actually going for military or government infrastructure rather than trying to sway public opinion. Terrorism is a political act,it is all about sending a message.
I don't necessarily agree. Terrorists are people with a point to make who view violence as the preferable way to make it (usually out of desperation).
Numbers are pretty much never the point (any more than companies set out to kill as many people as possible with pollutants). The symbol is what's important. The world trade center. Mosques. Gay bars. All representative of what the attacker views as a corrupting influence on society in their own worldview.