NCJ Number
217946
Journal
Journal of Security Education Volume: 1 Issue: 4 Dated: 2006 Pages: 65-74
Date Published
2006
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This paper discusses why terrorist networks are important, major areas of related research, and issues for future research.
Abstract
As used in this paper, "networks" are defined as "structures of interdependence involving multiple organizations or parts thereof, where one unit is not merely the formal subordinate of the others in some larger hierarchical arrangement." The 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States showed how tactical and strategic networks could exploit modern technology to kill and injure large numbers of people. At the strategic level, networks facilitate collaboration among groups, organizations, or cliques in ways that maximize their potential for doing damage. Although there has been some exploration of how and why terrorist networks operate and adapt, the majority of the literature on this topic has relied on case studies and anecdotal information, has focused on tactical networks and intraorganizational networks, and has focused on theory-building with little empirical verification. Research should move beyond the focus on Islamic terrorist networks to examine other kinds of groups that are using the advantages of network structures to facilitate terrorist activity. Network studies should also complement the growing literature on tactical networks with an equally robust body of work on strategic networks. This requires cross-disciplinary linkages among such disciplines as social-movement theory, conflict theory, and social network analysis. There must also be more research on the implications of the characteristics of terrorist networks for counterterrorism, as well as the implications for networked forms of counterterrorism collaboration. The analytical toolkit of social network analysis will help to improve both measures of networks and their operation. Also, more research is needed on counterterrorist strategies that are best suited to disrupting terrorist networks. 40 references