Tactical Advantages of Modern Day Kamikazes

In 1998, there were two suicide attacks on civilians and 1997, there were three. In contrast, there have been approximately 20 suicide bombing attempts in the past four months of this year alone.

The Bush Administration has been particularly alarmed by the "compensation payments" being made to the families of suicide bombers.

Last week, Iraq announced it would pay $25,000 to the families of suicide bombers and there have been fears that the Saudi government's compensations for Palestinian victims of the current intifada also includes suicide bombers.

"Let us not underestimate the fact that there are material gains involved," says Sprinzak. "Contrary to popular belief, suicide bombers are not lone zealots, but are pawns in large terrorist networks."

Getting Rattled by a Suicide Attack

Terrorism experts also note that a society's propensity to get rattled by suicide bombing attacks also contributes to the effectiveness of suicide attacks.

Comparing Israeli and U.S. responses to suicide attacks to that in Sri Lanka — where normal life goes on in most parts of the country — Sprinzak says he believes the answer is in the different lifestyles and standards of living. "Israel is a Western, democratic, bourgeois, materialistic society and so suicide bombings are very effective — like they will be in the U.S., France and England, if this happens."

It is the fear of future attacks — in the region and outside — that has governments and experts chipping in their efforts to fight this lethal form of warfare.

Sprinzak advocates applying consistent pressure on terrorist infrastructure, cutting off funding sources and "putting potential terrorists on the run."

But even as he advocates turning the heat on future suicide bombers, Sprinzak warns that the current Israeli offensive in the West Bank is not likely to resolve the threat.

"It has to be a combination of military and political solutions," he says, noting that the relatively modest arms seizures during the Israeli offensive in the West Bank and the "surprising weakness of the Palestinian resistance" only underscores the ineffectiveness of a solely military solution.

"I'm saying that you can detain thousands of Palestinian men in the West Bank but there will be a few thousand ready to commit a suicide bombing," he says.

And as Idris did when she seemingly broke the glass ceiling of terrorism, the threat could come from unforeseen sources.