Human Subjects Protection and Research on Terrorism and Conflict

摘要

The last decade has seen consider able expansion in research on ter rorism and conflict. People have studied root causes, group behavior, and different approaches to counter such acts (7). Some of the best cases involved direct interaction with current or former terrorists, producing important results that, for example, replaced caricatures of terrorists as pathological killers with nuanced models of what drives individuals to join such groups and even sacrifice themselves intentionally for a cause. We discuss how current legal developments raise complications and may limit the ability of researchers to work on these topics. These issues are particularly important for U.S. research policy, as the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is considering major changes in the way human subjects are protected (2).