Competitive Adaptation in Militant Networks: Preliminary Findings from an Islamist Case Study
Abstract
This chapter provides an interdisciplinary framework from which to study the behavior of militant groups that either carry out acts of political violence themselves or support the use of violence by others. Specifically, we analyze data from news reports and interviews concerning the militant activist group Al-Muhajiroun (AM). Using competitive adaptation (Kenney, 2007) as a comparative organizational framework, this project focuses on the process by which adversaries learn from each other in complex adaptive systems and tailor their activities to achieve their organizational goals in light of their opponents action. Our approach combines the analytical richness of ethnographic research with computational modelling to provide a meso-level model of militant networks that function in complex adaptive systems. This chapter presents preliminary results of AM, a former Islamist group in the United Kingdom that was banned by British authorities in 2010.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2015
- Accession Number
- AD1146897
Entities
People
- Alex Stedmon
- Cale Horne
- Glyn Lawson
- John Horgan
- Kathleen Carley
- Kurt Braddock
- Mia Bloom
- Michael Kenney
- Peter Vining
Organizations
- Coventry University