Talking to the Enemy: Terrorists and Scott Atran

Some of you may be aware of Krista Tippett's American Public Radio program, "On Being" (it used to be called, "Speaking of Faith"). She has interviewed a number of different people on issues related to faith and spirituality, such as Civil Rights leader Vincent Harding ("Civility, History and Hope"), physicist and Anglican priest John Polkinhorne ("Quarks and Creation"), Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of Britain ("The Dignity of Difference"), and the Dalai Lama ("Pursuing Happiness").

Recently, I listened to an interview of Scott Atran ("Demonstrations, Hopes, and Dreams"), who is the Research Director in Anthropology at the National Center for Scientific Research in Paris, France as well as a visiting Professor of Psychology and Public Policy at the University of Michigan and Residential Scholar in Sociology at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He is also the author of the new book, "Talking to the Enemy: Faith, Brotherhood, and the (Un)Making of Terrorists." Over the last decade Atran has talked with hundreds of terrorists and has valuable insights into what makes terrorists "tick." I think many of you will find it interesting.