Robert Pape warns making an execution ‘public’ could become propaganda that spurs further attacks

What was said

"So this idea of the public execution, it's the public issue that's the problem here. And we need to understand. So that I don't I'm not doubting people don't know. That doesn't mean we can't know."

During discussion of an execution scenario, Robert Pape argues that the key danger is the execution becoming a public spectacle. Citing his research on suicide terrorism and pointing to the radicalising impact of released Abu Ghraib images, he says public-facing material can act as a trigger for recruitment and “inspired” violence, and urges decision-makers not to dismiss the risk as unknowable.