Protecting Homeland from Int’l & Domestic Terrorism

January 2010 No Comments

Protecting the Homeland from International and Domestic Terrorism Threats: Current Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives on Root Causes, the Role of Ideology, and Programs for Counter-radicalization and Disengagement.

Author | Editor: Fenstermacher, L. (Air Force Research Laboratory), Kuznar, L., Rieger, T. (NSI, Inc) & Speckhard, A. (Independent Consultant).

It would be comforting to be able to find some constants, some footholds in our understanding of terrorism. It is, in fact, the element of mystery as to what drives people to collective violence that makes us uncomfortable — that fills us with terror. Researchers, policy makers, those who must combat terrorism, and the public hope for some simple formula for radicalization, a program or set of programs that will prevent groups of people from deliberately targeting other people in order to meet their needs (political, economic, social, etc). There is no magic formula within this paper collection, but there are a variety of perspectives that, either in isolation or when integrated, provide new ways to think about terrorism and potentially to inform decisions that will abate this global phenomenon, not exacerbate it.

This paper collection entitled, “Protecting the Homeland from International and Domestic Terrorism Threats: Current Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives on Root Causes, the Role of Ideology, and Programs for Counter-radicalization and Disengagement,” seeks to add insights without needlessly repeating what has been heard and read elsewhere. What separates this paper collection from the many others on this topic is the multiplicity of perspectives represented, both domestic and international, that span the spectrum of social sciences. To do this, over forty authors were asked to provide perspectives on various aspects of terrorism: root causes, dynamics of Violent Non-State Actors (VNSAs), the role of ideology in terrorism, and potential solutions for counter-radicalization, deradicalization, and disengagement from terrorism.

This paper collection builds on and substantially augments the recent RAND publication entitled, “Social Science for Counterterrorism: Putting the Pieces Together.” The RAND report looked at root causes, why people become terrorists, support for terrorism, how terrorism ends, disengagement and deradicalization, and strategic communications using the approach of surveying relevant literatures and then synthesizing the information – in many cases in very helpful factor trees that distill and show interrelationships between key factors. This collection has a few survey papers bolstered by numerous empirical analyses as well as comprehensive papers on select topics (e.g., Pakistan) and papers by international authors expressing essentially “first person” perspectives on key terrorism issues, particularly ideology and counterterrorism solutions. This allows for greater “drill down” in some areas as well as an understanding on what current empirical research shows us about terrorism.

The viewpoint throughout is that terrorism, and indeed what we know about terrorism, is DYNAMIC. There is no formula (condition a + grievance b + group dynamic c + ideology d = collective violence) that applies. Terrorism is the result of interactions between human beings – who live in an environment with other individuals and groups, with a government that does or does not meet their needs and expectations, who interact on a daily basis with others, who they may increasingly identify with radicals based on a variety of reasons, who may have experienced trauma and/or perceived discrimination either first hand or indirectly (e.g., Internet videos), who may meet a charismatic leader and/or hear a resonant message that meshes with their psychological vulnerabilities. The message may frame their grievance in terms of an all- encompassing worldview that fosters a sense of a conflict they are currently experiencing as a “cosmic war” in which they can (and indeed must) participate in a noble fight against demonized enemy. It can start in a variety of ways and it can also end, as the recent RAND report outlined, in a variety of ways: the actors can change their minds about the ideology that justified their actions, give up or be arrested or killed or appeased by the government, or lose so many group members that it is no longer feasible or worth carrying on the fight. It is a (non- linear, complex, or even chaotic) fluid dance with many moving parts; thus, it cannot be expressed in simple “if-then” statements or simple causal diagrams. This paper collection also boldly steps into the deafening silence on the topic of “do ideology and/or religion motivate terrorism?” and provides some surprising thoughts on this controversial topic.

To frame the topic being addressed, we start with a definition of terrorism and an assessment of the current threat posed by terrorism, both internationally and domestically. There is a plethora of definitions for terrorism – a 1988 study by the U.S. Army counted 109. The two offered here are consistent with the key elements found in most definitions. Terrorism is defined by U.S. Law (U.S. Code Title 22, Ch.38, Para. 2656f(d)) as the “premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents” and by the Oxford English Dictionary as “a policy intended to strike with terror those against whom it is adopted; the employment of methods of intimidation; the fact of terrorising or condition of being terrorized.” Fundamentally, terrorism occurs when non-state organizations employ violence for political purposes and when the target of that violence is civilian (or military in non-combat settings), and the immediate purpose is to instill fear in a population.

“Bumper sticker” insights from the overall paper include…

No “one size fits all” in terms of a terrorist profile, radicalization trajectory, level of extremism, motivations, organization characteristics, and counter-terrorism responses or solutions
Our understanding of terrorism can and should be based on empirical data, as well as case studies, to best inform strategy and policy
Terrorism is not new, but new technology is a “game changer” in terms of motivation (e.g., Internet videos provoke experience of trauma, like in conflict zones), recruiting, training, potential lethality, and even tactics selection
Root causes are necessary in terms of the susceptibility for the emergence of individuals or groups likely to use terrorism as a tactic, but not sufficient
Group dynamics are necessary as are charismatic leaders or instigators, but not sufficient
Credible messages and leaders/counselors are necessary for deradicalization/disengagement, but not sufficient
Ideology is important at least as a way to frame issues and justify actions
Individual solutions exist but must be tailored to the level of extremism and role (instigator, perpetrator, and supporter) and be combined to truly combat radicalization and terrorism

This collection is organized in five sections, each of which contains papers that address key aspects of the contemporary terrorist phenomenon and what is known about those that engage in terrorism: instigators, perpetrators, and supporters. The collection begins with an overview that sets the stage for where threats exist and are emerging. The next section reviews research on the root causes of terrorism and provides diverse views concerning the economic and political conditions and new information environments that foster terrorism. The next section on dynamics of violent non-state actors (VNSA) considers social networking and group dynamics that foster and support terrorism. Ideology is increasingly implicated in terrorism, and the section on Ideology and VNSAs covers diverse viewpoints on the role of ideology as a cause or consequence of terrorism. The final section provides several information and perspectives on the effectiveness of various counter-radicalization, deradicalization and disengagement programs and research on their likely effectiveness in combating or de-escalating violent activity. The first three sections provide important updates to the established literature on terrorism.

Contributing Authors

Janice Adelman, Qamar Al-Huda, Victor Asal, James David Ballard, Maya Beasley, Laila Bokhari, Chris Boucek, Kyle Christensen, Cori Dauber, Adam Dolnik, Bob Duval, Shawn Teresa Flanigan, Ignatius Gous, Rohan Gunaratna, Dipak Gupta, Frank Hairgrove, William Harlow, Bruce Hoffman, Russel L. Honoré, Albert Jongman, Steve Kornguth, Robert Lambert, Tom Lawson, Richard Legault, Anthony Lemieux, Frédéric Lemieux, Brynjar Lia, Jim Lutz, David R. Mandel, David Matsumoto, Clark McCauley, Douglas McLeod, Joel Mort, Sophia Moskalenko, Sam Mullins, Thomas O‘Connor, Reuven Paz, Ami Pedahzur, Arie Perliger, Wayne Porter, Tom Rieger, Jennifer Robison, Marc Sageman, Alan Sandstrom, Yoram Schweitzer, Steve Seitz, Steve Shellman, Anne Speckhard, Raymond A. Thomas III, UK Imams, Jeff Victoroff, Sherifa Zuhur