On the Motives for the Mumbai Attacks

By H. Goldman

If the Deccan Mujahedeen, (or whoever perpetrated the attacks on Mumbai,) simply wanted to show that no nation is safe from terrorism, they would have used suicide bombs, which are more potent than the grenades and AK-47s that were used. Moreover, because suicide bombs prevent terrorists from being captured by authorities and are almost always present in highly funded attacks, there must have been another motive for this attack, which used terrorists that were not only susceptible to being captured, but seemed, (from what I have noticed of the lone survivor,) willing to confess details of the attack to Indian authorities. This motive can be broken into two parts:

1.) To rekindle the Indian-Pakistani conflict:
By implicating Pakistan in the Mumbai attacks and creating a neoconservative protectionist Indian government, (refer to Young Sentinel's piece for more on the latter,) the group responsible for the Mumbai attacks could create conflict, a violent and restless populace, and antipathy toward both India and Pakistan; all of which are factors that are vital to the proliferation of terrorism.

2.) To destroy the Indian commercial economy:
As India's commercial capitol, Mumbai is vital to the social and economic progression of India. Therefore, even the deterrence of tourists and investors from the city can have a negative impact on Indian society that could be large enough to decimate the Indian economy and create the widespread poverty ideal for terrorist recruitment.