The internal dynamics of terrorist cells: a social network analysis of terrorist cells in an Australian context

The rise of the 21st Century Islamic extremist movement, which was mobilised by the al-Qaeda attacks of and responses to September 11, 2001, heralds a new period in the history of terrorism. The increased frequency and intensity of this type of terrorism affects every nation in the world, not least Australia. Rising to meet the challenges posed by terrorism is the field of terrorism studies, the field which aims at understanding, explaining, and countering terrorism. Despite the importance of the field, it has been beleaguered with criticisms since its inception as a response to the rise of international terrorism. These criticisms specifically aim at the field's lack of objectivity, abstraction, levels of research, and levels of analysis. These criticisms were the impetus behind the adoption of the methodology of this thesis, which offers the distinct ability to understand, explain, and forecast the way in which terrorists interact within covert cells. Through social network analysis, this thesis examines four terrorist cells that have operated in or against Australia. These cells are from the groups Hrvatsko Revolucionarno Bratstvo (Croatian Revolutionary Brotherhood), Aum Shinrikyo (Supreme Truth), Lashkar-e-Taiba (Army of the Pure), and Jemaah Islamiyah (Islamic Community) and operated between 1963 and 2003. Essentially, this methodology attempts to discover, map, and analyse the interaction within the cells during the covert stage of their respective operations. Following this, the results are analysed through the traditional social network analysis frameworks to discover the internal dynamics of the cell and identify the critical nodes (leaders) within the cells. Destabilisation techniques are subsequently employed, targeting these critical nodes to establish the most effective disruption techniques from a counter-terrorism point of view. The major findings of this thesis are: (1) that cells with a focus on efficiency rather than covertness were more successful in completing their objectives (contrary to popular belief); and (2) betweenness centrality (control over the flow of communication) is a critical factor in identifying leaders within terrorist cells. The analysis also offered significant insight into how a Jemaah Islamiyah cell might operate effectively in Australia, as well as the importance of local contacts to terrorist operations and the significance of international counter-terrorism cooperation and coordination

An Assessment of Terrorism Studies in Australia: Recommendations and Future Directions

The field of ‘Terrorism Studies’ in Australia has developed in stark contrast to the field at large. Since the expansive period of growth within the field following the 2001 al-Qaeda attacks and the rise of 21st Century Islamic extremism, terrorism studies in Australia has undertaken significant growth and is now firmly established within academia and national research initiatives. This paper aims to essentially function as a health check for the field in Australia, discussing the development of the field of terrorism studies, the major foci of the field, its development, prevalence, and standing in Australia, its responses to the traditional criticisms of terrorism studies, where the field is situated today, and the directions for the future

The Developing Jihad: the Ideological Consistency of Jihadi Doctrine from Al Qaeda to the Revolutionary Fundamentalist Movement

This paper aims to assess the consistency and coherency of al-Qaeda’s theological and political ideologies following its shift to terrorism in the early 1990s and through the transition from terrorist group to global movement. The paper will identify a political/theological ideology that is based in and justified through Islam, specifically supported by the concepts of jihad (struggle) and shahid (martyr). This analysis finds that through the shift of al-Qaeda from a terrorist group to a movement (which is ideologically directed by al-Qaeda), the group’s doctrine and ideology lack consistency. This lack of consistency specifically concerns the ideological position on democracy and reform within an Islamic state, and secondly the views on Shiite Muslims, particularly within Iraq

A Social Network Analysis of Jemaah Islamiyah: The Applications to Counter-Terrorism and Intelligence

This article attempts to contribute to and advance the growing literature on social network analysis and terrorism studies, through a social network analysis of the Jemaah Islamiyah cell that was responsible for the Bali bombings in 2002. In doing so, the article endeavors to provide a potential framework for the intelligence analysis of terrorist cells. Such a framework will assist in (1) understanding the communication and structure of such cells and (2) assist in predicting the likely outcomes of terrorist cells when employed in real-time intelligence analysis