
What do we know about terrorist radicalization?
Individual
Group
 Mass


How does a government impact the radicalization process at the
individual, group and mass levels?

What strategies are employed by terrorist groups to
mobilize individuals to choose political violence over
alternative means?

How do relatively ordinary, rational individuals justify their
involvement in terrorist organizations and the violence
they commit?

What role do ideological entrepreneurs play in
constructing a social reality?

What framing devices are utilized by these ideological
entrepreneurs? (Mass level: reaction, dehumanization . . .)
Remember ideological themes:
Guevara – Vanguard
Fanon – Violence as necessary
Marighella – Urban warfare
According to Eidelson & Eidelson, What are 5 beliefs
that propel groups toward conflict?
According to Eidelson & Eidelson, What are 5 beliefs that
propel groups toward conflict?
-
Superiority
Injustice
Vulnerability
Distrust
Helplessness
p. 188 – Importance of
in-group validation . . .
- Where in the world of terrorist ideologies do we see these themes
represented?
- 4 of these could be classified as “grievances . . .”
- Superiority breeds entitlement; unmet, becomes grievance . . .
Andrew Kidd and Barbara Walter (2006): “Five political
objectives with enduring importance”
-
Regime change
Territorial change
Policy change
Social control
Status quo maintenance
-
Remember: terrorism as driven by desire for power to make
(or sometimes prevent) change

What is “The Logic of Ethnic Terrorism”?

What do ethnic terrorist groups have in common?

How do they differ from other terrorist groups?

What does Byman suggest a country should do,
and not do, when dealing with ethnic terrorism?
A central proposition:

Terrorism is the direct result of an individual’s
choice influenced by a combination of factors and
perceptions about the world around them
“The roots of terrorist activity lie in the mind . . . ”
- Gordon McCormick, 2003
We need to understand:

The critical importance of perception, identity, beliefs

The main elements of the relationship between
governance and terrorism

The role that economics, psychology, sociology or other
grievances play in motivating terrorist groups

The ways, means, contexts for ideological resonance

Countering radicalization requires that we:
 Identify places of ideological interpretation, especially where
youth might be exposed to radical ideas (clubs, youth groups,
video games, Internet, religious or educational places, etc.)
 establish a presence inside the places of radicalization in order to
reach the audiences that are being radicalized from within;
 identify interpreters that are recognized as authoritative,
credible and commanding of obedience
 develop the ability to discredit radical ideas as unsupported by
core values; undermine legitimacy
 Identify and support countervailing influences within societies,
communities, families, and other institutions

Think about how you have formed your view of the world,
and your place within it.

Who in your life has influenced your perceptions the
most?

What if your “influencers” were considered “extremists”
by others”? Would you know?