The academic field of interdisciplinary studies is the 13th most popular major in the United States. It has become one of the largest undergraduate programs, outnumbering some 550 active students--and growing. There are three reasons for students' (and parents') interest in an interdisciplinary approach to education: (1) Students are allowed to custom design their own program of study (with assistance from experts) so that no money and time is wasted on unnecessary coursework; (2) employers are hiring graduates of IDS programs because their education has prepared them for the workplace of the 21st century; and (3) students are taught to approach complex problems from several perspectives so that they can develop a more comprehensive understanding of them and propose practical solutions to them.

Suicide terrorism has become the "weapon of choice" of terrorist organizations. This complex problem is important for at least two reasons. First, this form of terrorism has already claimed the lives of thousands of Americans and the lives of our closest allies (i.e. Great Britain and Spain). Second, terrorism experts sharply disagree about its causes and therefore also disagree about how to deal effectively with it because they approach it from the narrow perspective of their particular discipline. Until we have a comprehensive understanding of this problem, we face the prospect of increased violence and decreased security. An interdisciplinary approach to understanding the causes of suicide terrorism yields important insights as to its causes and suggestions for a comprehensive solution.