Modeling Terrorist Networks, Complex Systems at the Mid-range

TL;DR

This paper applies complex systems and social network theory to analyze terrorist networks, particularly focusing on the 9/11 hijacker network, to understand their structure and resilience.

Contribution

It introduces a complex systems approach to modeling terrorist networks, including novel network mapping techniques based on node removal.

Findings

Network resilience to node removal

Insights into group cohesion and adhesion

Alternative network structures identified

Abstract

In this paper, we develop the themes presented at the 2003 Joint Complexity Conference at the London School of Economics and subsequently published in The Intelligencer (2004) and O Tempo Das Redes (2008). Following the data analysis of the 9/11 high-jacker network developed by Valdis Krebs from open sources, we apply social network theory to examine salient arguments regarding terrorism as seen from the standpoint of complex adaptive systems theory. In particular, we explore the concepts of group cohesion, adhesion and alternative network mappings derived from node removal.