The Skeleton Key

Survival of a species can be sub-divided into two main categories that determine everything. These categories, simply put, are food and sex; or, the need for all species to consume and reproduce. When political theorists focus on a problem, they focus on the consumption variable in its various forms as it relates to civilization, like poverty. Very few focus on the need for a species to reproduce in order to survive, or that reproduction is politically important. Gender Relations can be used in a new way to study mating systems across the planet, and can formulate a theory that unlocks the mysteries of political phenomenon. This book seeks the answer to one fundamental question: Under what conditions will sub-state actors turn to political violence or terrorism? Combining social science research in various fields of study including archeology, anthropology, history, political science, psychology, and sociology, this book develops a unique approach that attributes the development of political discourse to changes within a gendered system. Unlike previous theories of terrorism that connect discourse to authoritarianism, brainwashing, or inequalities in economics, gender relations are argued to be the essential key between war and peace. Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative evidence, this study aims to demonstrate the existence of a correlation between terrorism and gender relations.