The evidence suggests that the conflict in Chechnya was not a major factor in the motivation of the Boston bombers

Since last week’s bombings in Boston and the subsequent manhunt, much has been speculated about the motivations of the two ethnic Chechen brothers who are suspected of carrying out the attack. Jim Hughes looks at whether or not the Boston bombings can be explained via Grozny. He argues that it is unlikely that the attacks are connected with the conflict in Chechnya, and that we must look to the United States to understand the bombers’ pathways and motivations towards violence, especially in the context of the USA’s countervailing force of ideas and norms against radicalisation.