{"title":"Italian Jihadists in Syria and Iraq","authors":"Francesco Marone","doi":"10.15664/JTR.1205","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15664/JTR.1205","url":null,"abstract":"This article explores the current extent of Italy’s Sunni jihadists in Syria and Iraq. The country presents interesting particularities, including a relatively small number of foreign fighters compared to other European countries (not more than 90 individuals, and only a dozen with Italian passports ). However, the Italian case has not been extensively investigated. This article first examines the scale of the problem and then focuses on the cases of three Italian nationals who left for Syria: a convert who died in combat in the Aleppo area in 2013, a second-generation immigrant who joined the ranks of the Islamic State (IS) and a muhajira (“emigrant”) who, as a woman, has not been allowed to take combat roles in the self-proclaimed “caliphate” .","PeriodicalId":89695,"journal":{"name":"Journal of terrorism research","volume":"7 1","pages":"20"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67200961","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Do Territorial Control and the Loss of Territory Determine the use of Indiscriminate Violence by Incumbent Actors? An Examination of the Syrian Civil War in Aleppo over 45 weeks.","authors":"Evan Tyner","doi":"10.15664/JTR.812","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15664/JTR.812","url":null,"abstract":"This study tests the ‘control-collaboration’ model detailed by Stathis Kalyvas in The Logic of Violence in Civil War (2006). The control-collaboration model makes various theoretical claims on the relationship between territorial control and the use and motivations of violence (whether selective or indiscriminate). This study tests two of the key claims made in the model: 1. There is an inverse relationship between level of territorial control and the use of indiscriminate violence; and, 2. The loss off territory encourages the use of indiscriminate violence. Using data on civilian and child deaths taken from the ‘Syrian Martyr Database’, this study examines the relationship between territorial control and territorial loss, and the use of indiscriminate violence by incumbent (Syrian state) forces. Examining the levels of territorial control/loss and the extent of civilian and child casualties in Aleppo, Syria, results of the study largely support the theoretical assumptions outlined by Kalyvas.","PeriodicalId":89695,"journal":{"name":"Journal of terrorism research","volume":"7 1","pages":"52-66"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67201567","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"#IS_Fangirl: Exploring a New Role for Women in Terrorism","authors":"Laura Huey, Eric Witmer","doi":"10.15664/JTR.1211","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15664/JTR.1211","url":null,"abstract":"In this paper we present initial results from an ongoing study of women affiliated with pro-IS networks on Twitter and other social media. Our particular focus is on 20 accounts belonging to individual identified as ‘fan girls.’ Drawing on an analysis of Twitter posts from these 20 accounts, we identify key characteristics of the fan girl in an attempt to bring conceptual clarity to this role and enhance our understanding of who these girls are and their potential for radicalization.","PeriodicalId":89695,"journal":{"name":"Journal of terrorism research","volume":"7 1","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67200972","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Paradigmatic Shifts in Jihadism in Cyberspace: The Emerging Role of Unaffiliated Sympathizers in Islamic State’s Social Media Strategy","authors":"Y. Veilleux-Lepage","doi":"10.15664/JTR.1183","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15664/JTR.1183","url":null,"abstract":"This paper provides an overview of the evolution of the concept of jihadism as it presently exists in cyberspace. From its roots during the Chechen conflict to the current use of social media by the Islamic State (IS), this paper identifies and examines three highly significant paradigm shifts: (1) the emergence of rudimentary Web 2.0 platforms and jihadist forums; (2) the advent of advanced Web 2.0 and social media platforms as methods of spreading jihadism; and (3) turn towards ‘lone wolf’ terrorism. In this paper, the author argues that IS’ extensive reliance on unaffiliated sympathizers, who either re-tweet or re-post content produced and authorized by the IS leadership can be seen as a groundbreaking paradigm shift in the evolution of jihadism in cyberspace. Furthermore, it is also argued that IS’ strategy of empowering of unaffiliated sympathizers represents a further development in the evolution of jihadism in cyberspace and can best be understood as an attempt to normalize and legitimize IS’ existence through its efforts to dominate the ‘IS narrative’ across social media platforms.","PeriodicalId":89695,"journal":{"name":"Journal of terrorism research","volume":"7 1","pages":"36-51"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67200387","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Gary J. Bass (2014); The Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger and a Forgotten Genocide; Hurst & Co: London","authors":"C. Spens","doi":"10.15664/JTR.1170","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15664/JTR.1170","url":null,"abstract":"Review: Gary J. Bass (2014); The Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger and a Forgotten Genocide; Hurst & Co: London","PeriodicalId":89695,"journal":{"name":"Journal of terrorism research","volume":"6 1","pages":"84"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67200349","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Social Identity and Social Power Perspective on Terrorism","authors":"Joshua D. Wright","doi":"10.15664/JTR.1184","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15664/JTR.1184","url":null,"abstract":"This article presents a theoretical framework for understanding terrorism that is grounded in experimental work on social identity and social power. It is suggested that social identity salience and social power may be harnessed to reduce terrorist activity by reducing perceptions of threat from the view of terrorist organizations, by reducing perceived threat of terrorist activity from the view of potential targets, and by addressing distributions of and susceptibility to social power as it relates to acceptability of parochial altruism.","PeriodicalId":89695,"journal":{"name":"Journal of terrorism research","volume":"6 1","pages":"76-83"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67200456","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Urban And Rural Militia Organizations In Syria’s Less Governed Spaces","authors":"Carl Anthony Wege","doi":"10.15664/JTR.1123","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15664/JTR.1123","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract: The decline in Bashar al-Assad’s governing authority throughout Syria since 2011 and the concomitant accretion of increasingly complex inter and intra action between and within militia organizations suggests a future of Islamist Anarchy across the Syrian space. Observers may have an interest in the qualitative patterns of militia development and interactions across Syria’s rural and urban geographies","PeriodicalId":89695,"journal":{"name":"Journal of terrorism research","volume":"6 1","pages":"35-61"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67200628","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Parochial Altruists or Ideologues? An Agent Based Model of Commitment to Self Sacrifice","authors":"Giti Zahedzadeh","doi":"10.15664/JTR.1004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15664/JTR.1004","url":null,"abstract":"What motivates suicide attackers remains an open question. From an evolutionary perspective, commitment to suicide missions is puzzling since such behavior is fitness reducing. We model suicide terrorism by drawing on two fundamental human motivations: altruism and selfishness. Martyrdom can be viewed as altruistic- benefiting group members at a cost to oneself, as well as selfish- ideological belief in a profitable afterlife. Our simulations identify that some degree of both behaviors are essential in order to facilitate a commitment to sacrifice. Thus, manipulations of ideology and altruism can tip the threshold and set the agents on the path of martyrdom.","PeriodicalId":89695,"journal":{"name":"Journal of terrorism research","volume":"6 1","pages":"1"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67200362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"State Cyberterrorism: A Contradiction in Terms?","authors":"Stuart Macdonald, L. Jarvis, Lella Nouri","doi":"10.15664/JTR.1162","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15664/JTR.1162","url":null,"abstract":"This article explores findings from a global survey of the terrorism research community to explore whether states may be deemed capable of conducting cyberterrorism. The article begins with a brief review of recent literature on state terrorism, identifying empirical and analytical justifications for greater use of this concept. Following a discussion of our research methodology we make two arguments. First, that there exists considerable ‘expert’ support for the validity of the proposition that states can indeed engage in cyberterrorism. Second, that whether states are deemed capable of cyberterrorism has implications for subsidiary debates, including around the threat that cyberterrorism poses.","PeriodicalId":89695,"journal":{"name":"Journal of terrorism research","volume":"6 1","pages":"62-75"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67200337","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Authority and Hierarchy within Anonymous Internet Relay Chat Networks","authors":"S. Bertram","doi":"10.15664/JTR.1089","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15664/JTR.1089","url":null,"abstract":"The protest group Anonymous has emerged as one of the most significant social movements of recent years, announcing their arrival as a globally recognized brand with regular disruptive cyber attacks and the leak of large volumes of sensitive data. Despite the obvious significance of Anonymous, to date, little academic research has been focused on what role hierarchy and internal authority play (if any) within the group. Bespoke software was used to structure over 5000 examples of IRC log files, so that a base line descriptive statistical picture could be drawn, as well as a more granular enumeration of the privileges associated with individual users.","PeriodicalId":89695,"journal":{"name":"Journal of terrorism research","volume":"6 1","pages":"15"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67200619","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}