The purpose of the project is to identify patterns in the evolution of terrorist organizations, specify their causes and consequences, and analyze the development of Al Qaeda and its cohort in a comprehensive comparative framework. The project analyzes the organizational structure of different families of terrorist organizations and traces their relationships over time. The project will produce a database of terrorist organizations and a series of dynamic maps of the architecture of violent and non-violent opposition groups operating in the same conflict zone. The project will identify common patterns of organizational evolution, as groups form, split, merge, collaborate, compete, shift ideological direction, adopt or renounce terrorism, grow, shrink, and eventually decline over time. Models based on comparisons of historical terrorist genealogies will be applied to the case of Al Qaeda and its affiliates and associates, including the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Theories generated from the study will thus shed light on an important national security threat that is constantly evolving. The project will also identify or develop computer software to assemble, organize, and display information about organizations and their interactions over time. This award was funded through the Social and Behavioral Dimensions of National Security, Conflict, and Cooperation competition, a joint venture between NSF and the Department of Defense.
