Link to the University of Pittsburgh Homepage
Link to the University Library System Homepage Link to the Contact Us Form

ON THE EDGE OF AL-QAIDA? ASSESSING AL-QAIDA'S CHANGING ROLE IN TERRORIST PLOTS AND ATTACKS

GERDES, LUKE M. (2012) ON THE EDGE OF AL-QAIDA? ASSESSING AL-QAIDA'S CHANGING ROLE IN TERRORIST PLOTS AND ATTACKS. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished)

[img]
Preview
PDF
Primary Text

Download (28MB) | Preview

Abstract

This dissertation investigates changes in the extent and nature of al-Qaida’s involvement in Salafist-motivated terrorism over time. It makes use of an original, hand-coded dataset that examines relationships among individuals involved in terror events in order to build a formal network-based model of violent extremist organizations’ membership. These designations serve as the basis for a procedure that estimates the extent of organizations’ functional involvement in more than 500 completed terror attacks, as well as approximately 180 incomplete terror plots. According to these quantitative estimates, al-Qaida’s role in Islamist terrorism is far less substantial than often assumed by the press and policy makers, but in order to more fully explore changes in the organization’s pattern of involvement in terrorism, the study’s quantitative findings also served as a metric for the selection of qualitative cases, which were examined using structured-focused comparison. This narrative assessment reinforced the conclusions of the quantitative estimate, and found that the quality and capability of al-Qaida’s operatives has steadily declined over time, even as the depth of al-Qaida’s involvement with so-called partner organizations has waned. Because al-Qaida is not the global Islamist juggernaut it is often portrayed to be, the United States’ already well-designed counterterrorism strategy requires minor amendment in order to better target the myriad terror groups that comprise the contemporary Islamist threat.


Share

Citation/Export:
Social Networking:
Share |

Details

Item Type: University of Pittsburgh ETD
Status: Unpublished
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
GERDES, LUKE M.LUKE.GERDES@GMAIL.COM
ETD Committee:
TitleMemberEmail AddressPitt UsernameORCID
Committee ChairWILLIAMS, PHILRIDGWAY1@PITT.EDURIDGWAY1
Committee MemberCARLEY, KATHLEEN M.KATHLEEN.CARLEY@CS.CMU.EDU
Committee MemberGORMELY, DENNIS M.DMGORMLEY@COMCAST.NET
Committee MemberKENNEY, MICHAELMKENNEY@PITT.EDUMKENNEY
Date: 27 September 2012
Date Type: Publication
Defense Date: 3 May 2012
Approval Date: 27 September 2012
Submission Date: 14 August 2012
Access Restriction: 2 year -- Restrict access to University of Pittsburgh for a period of 2 years.
Number of Pages: 1886
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs: Graduate School of Public and International Affairs > Public and International Affairs
Degree: PhD - Doctor of Philosophy
Thesis Type: Doctoral Dissertation
Refereed: Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords: AL-QAIDA, AL-QAEDA, TERRORISM, EXTREMISM, VIOLENT NON-STATE ACTORS, NETWORK ANALYSIS
Date Deposited: 27 Sep 2012 16:58
Last Modified: 15 Nov 2016 14:02
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/13573

Metrics

Monthly Views for the past 3 years

Plum Analytics


Actions (login required)

View Item View Item