Militant Ideology Atlas: Executive Report
Abstract
The Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) at West Point has dedicated many of its resources this year to understanding the Jihadi ideology through the words of its adherents. The "Militant Ideology Atlas" is the CTC's most recent and comprehensive attempt to better understand the ideology driving the Jihadi Movement. This Executive Report and its accompanying Research Compendium provide the first systematic mapping of the ideology driving the actions of the terrorists responsible for the 9/11 attacks and other violent actions around the world. Using a robust research methodology and critical analyses of the Jihadis' most widely read texts, the Atlas gives us a highly nuanced map of the major thinkers in the Jihadi Movement and their most salient areas of consensus and disagreement. This Executive Report identifies who the most influential people are among the Jihadi thinking class, what they are thinking, and where the movement is most vulnerable ideologically. The report uses these empirical findings to identify powerful messages and influential messengers that can turn different constituencies against the Jihadis. These constituencies range from benign mainstream Muslims to the most violent Jihadis. The recommendations of this report establish a baseline against which strategic communications campaigns can be calibrated and adjusted. Appendix I is an Ideological Influence Map. Arrows indicate who is citing whom; thick lines are for an author who cites another author repeatedly; and the larger nodes indicate someone who is a key broker of information in the network. Appendix II is a listing of author names that have been cited three or more times in the Jihadi writings that were analyzed. The list is divided into modern authors and pre-modern authors. Each list includes the number of times the author has been cited, date of death, and nationality.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA458483
Entities
People
- Jarret Brachman
- Joseph Felter
- William Mccants
Organizations
- United States Military Academy