David C Hofmann | The University of New Brunswick (original) (raw)

Peer-Reviewed Articles by David C Hofmann

Research paper thumbnail of A Social Network Analysis of the Toronto 18

Manitoba Law Review, 2021

This chapter employs social network analysis in order to empirically explore the communication ne... more This chapter employs social network analysis in order to empirically explore the communication network established by the Toronto 18 in the three years before their arrest. It provides a basic conceptual overview of the extent, breadth, and nature of ideological and operational communiques between the disparate members within the Toronto 18 to further stimulate scholarly inquiry into similar relational dynamics within analogous terrorist groups. This chapter also provides readers with an understanding of certain group, social, and structural characteristics across three distinct periods: (1) the radicalization phase (January 2003 to October 2005); (2) the winter training camp (November 2005 to December 2005); and (3) the threemonth period surrounding the Opasatika property buying trip (January 2006 to March 2006). Research results are then presented and discussed, along with a brief overview of areas for future research.

Research paper thumbnail of An exploration of right-wing extremist incidents in Atlantic Canada

Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict, 2021

The study of Canadian right-wing extremism from a security context is in its infancy, with only a... more The study of Canadian right-wing extremism from a security context
is in its infancy, with only a handful of empirical and theoretical
studies emerging on the topic within the last decade. With the
increase of right-wing extremism violence in Canada such as the
2014 Moncton shooting and the 2017 Quebec City mosque attack,
there is a pressing need to better understand the breadth, depth, and
extent of Canadian right-wing extremism. The current paper presents
the preliminary findings from a larger cross-Canadian research project on right-wing extremism and focuses exclusively on Atlantic
Canada (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Labrador,
and Prince Edward Island). A comprehensive scoping of opensource documents of right-wing extremist incidents in Atlantic
Canada from January 2000 to December 2019 and their related
attributes were compiled into a dataset, and then used to explore
the distribution, breadth, type, and extent of right-wing extremist
activity in the Maritime provinces. Given the focus of previous
research upon urban aspects of Canadian right-wing extremism,
and that Atlantic Canada is more rural in comparison to the rest of
Canada, the breakdown of occurrences of different types of rightwing extremist activities based upon rurality are also examined.

Research paper thumbnail of Breaking Free: A Socio-Historical Analysis of the Canadian Freemen-on-the-Land Movement (2019)

Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Canada, 2019

In this chapter, I contribute to the nascent body of knowledge on potentially violent Canadian an... more In this chapter, I contribute to the nascent body of knowledge on potentially violent Canadian anti-government movements by providing academics, police, and security practitioners with a primer on the beliefs, practices, and history of the Canadian Freemen-on-the-Land. Given the nature of this volume, I also briefly explore the Canadian Freemen’s potential as an emergent threat to national security. I start with a descriptive overview of the beliefs and methods of the Canadian Freemen-on-the-Land. This is then followed by a socio-historical analysis that links the ideological roots of the Canadian Freemen to the legacy of American far-right anti-government thought over the last forty years. Lastly, based upon key concepts taken from the literature on the root causes of terrorism and what we know from previous cases of North American far-right anti-government violence, I conclude this chapter with a discussion of two conditions that may cause the Freemen to develop into a serious threat to Canadian national security.

Research paper thumbnail of Anti Authority and Militia Movements in Canada (2019)

Journal of Intelligence, Conflict, and Warfare, 2019

Academic explorations of anti-authority movements are virtually non-existent in Canada. We have n... more Academic explorations of anti-authority movements are virtually non-existent in Canada. We have no reliable primary data or empirical insights into Freemen-on-the-Land (FOTL) or other similar contingents. What we do know comes largely from Associate Chief Justice Rooke’s decision in Meads v. Meads (2012). He refers to the loose collection of individuals and small cells as “vexatious litigants.” In the absence of any academic assessment of these movements, we embarked on a one-year pilot project, bringing an exploratory and multi-method approach to this first such study. It is grounded in interviews with law enforcement, lawyers, judges, notaries, and movement adherents (n = 32), along with analysis of open source data which included media reports, court documents, and movement websites.

Research paper thumbnail of How " Alone " are Lone-Actors? Exploring the Ideological, Signaling, and Support Networks of Lone-Actor Terrorists (2018)

Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 2018

Conventional knowledge and early academic work on lone-actor terrorists has popularized the conce... more Conventional knowledge and early academic work on lone-actor terrorists has popularized the concept that they radicalize, operate, plan, and execute plots in relative anonymity, with little connection to formal or more organized groups and networks. However, recent scholarship has increasingly challenged the notion of the “loneliness” of lone-actors. In order to further empirically test this notion, this article uses social network analysis to examine the ideological, signaling, and support networks of two case-studies of lone-actors during the twenty-four months prior to the commission of their first act of terrorist violence.

Research paper thumbnail of "Confrontational but Not Violent" : An Assessment of the Potential for Violence by the Anti-Authority Community in Canada (2018)

Terrorism and Political Violence, 2018

Despite a pervasive concern among law enforcement and security agencies, there are relatively few... more Despite a pervasive concern among law enforcement and security agencies, there are relatively few academic explorations of the likelihood of violence associated with anti-authority activists from groups such as the Freemen-on-the-Land, Sovereign Citizens, and similar movements within Canada. In order to begin addressing this gap in knowledge, this article uses a multi-method approach to explore and assess the potential for crime and violence by the Canadian anti-authority community. Data were gathered from interviews with law enforcement, lawyers, judges, notaries, and movement adherents (n = 32), as well as from the analysis of open source data which included media reports, court documents, and movement websites. Results suggest that there are three distinct classes of criminal and violent activity that are prevalent among Canadian anti-authority movements: (1) offensive/extremist violence; (2) defensive/reactionary violence; and (3) harassment and intimidation. The article concludes with a discussion of two emerging areas of concern related to Canadian anti-authority violence and responses to the anti-authority community in Canada.

Research paper thumbnail of How “Alone” are Lone-Actors?: Exploring the Ideological, Signaling, and Support Networks of Lone-Actor Terrorists (2018)

TSAS Working Paper Series

The threat of lone-actor terrorism poses a unique challenge to security practitioners tasked with... more The threat of lone-actor terrorism poses a unique challenge to security practitioners
tasked with detecting, identifying, and preventing acts of ideologically and politicallymotivated
violence. Conventional knowledge and early academic work on lone-actor
terrorism has popularized the concept that these individuals radicalize, operate, plan,
and execute terrorist plots in relative anonymity, with little connection to formal or
more organized terrorist groups and networks. However, the growing scholarship in
this area has begun to challenge the notion of the “loneliness” of lone-actors, and recent
empirical research (e.g., Hamm and Spaijj 2017; Gill 2015; Joosse 2015) has identified the
crucial role that social relations, socio-political environments, and group dynamics play
in the radicalization and operation of lone-actor terrorists. Put simply, the empirical
evidence suggests that the motivations, methods, and ideologies of lone-actor terrorists
are influenced by their larger socio-political environments and by their interactions and
relationships with other people.
While there is growing consensus among terrorism scholars that questions the level at
which lone-actor terrorists are socially and operationally isolated from others as they
progress towards their first act of terrorist violence, there remains much that is not
known about the extent and types of social, communication, and support relationships
which they create and maintain during this formative period. With this lacuna in
knowledge in mind, the current research employs social network analysis to examine
patterns of social, ideological, communication, and support ties formed over a 24 month
period prior to the commission of the first act of terrorist violence by two case studies of
lone-actor terrorists: Timothy McVeigh, and Michael Zehaf-Bibeau. Extensive relational
data were gathered from open-sourced documents on both case studies, and was then
used to code relational matrices for each lone-actor’s full, ideological, signaling, and
support networks. These matrices were then used to conduct sociometric tests to
analyze relational patterns at the network, group, and individual (ego) levels.

Research paper thumbnail of The study of terrorist leadership: Where do we go from here? (2017)

Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, 2017

Purpose: Despite the recognition of the importance of leaders to the formation and ongoing succe... more Purpose:
Despite the recognition of the importance of leaders to the formation and ongoing success of social and political movements, the study of leadership in terrorist groups remains underdeveloped. This article therefore aims to stimulate additional research into terrorist leadership in three main ways: (1) by providing a broad overview of the theoretical perspectives that scholars have used to examine terrorist leadership, (2) by critically reviewing the current state of the academic literature on terrorist leadership, and (3) by presenting various ways in which future research on terrorist leadership can be improved.

Approach:
This article takes a conceptual and critical approach to reviewing the scholarly literature on terrorist leadership, and draws upon the author’s expertise with the wider multi-disciplinary literature on leadership to make recommendations to improve related future research.

Findings:
There is a paucity of empirical and theoretical research devoted to understanding important social and strategic aspects of terrorist leadership, and existing scholarly research is largely conducted in isolation with differing methodological and epistemological starting points. This has hampered efforts to measure, operationalize, and understand key concepts involving leadership in terrorist groups.

Practical Implications:
This article provides several methodological and conceptual recommendations by which future research on terrorist leadership can be improved from insights taken from the wider scholarly literature on leadership. By virtue of being published in a criminology journal, this article helps disseminate and expose key concepts in the study of terrorism to related disciplines.

Originality/Value:
This article provides a general overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the study of terrorist leadership to scholars and students interested in the topic. It provides a foundational discussion of how the current literature on terrorist conceives of and utilizes the concept of leadership. It also provides methodological and conceptual recommendations to improve future research on terrorist leadership.

Research paper thumbnail of Broadening our Understanding of Anti-Authority Movements in Canada (2017)

Academic explorations of anti-authority movements are virtually non-existent in Canada. We have n... more Academic explorations of anti-authority movements are virtually non-existent in Canada. We have no reliable primary data or empirical insights into Freemen-on-the-Land (FOTL) or other similar contingents. What we do know comes largely from Associate Chief Justice Rooke’s decision in Meads v. Meads (2012). He refers to the loose collection of individuals and small cells as “vexatious litigants.” In the absence of any academic assessment of these movements, we embarked on a one-year pilot project, bringing an exploratory and multi-method approach to this first such study, grounded in interviews with law enforcement, lawyers, judges, notaries, and movement adherents (n = 32), along with analysis of open source data which included media reports, court documents, and movement websites.

Research paper thumbnail of The Influence of Charismatic Authority on Operational Strategies and Attack Outcomes of Terrorist Groups (2016)

Despite the historical and contemporary prevalence of charismatic terrorist leaders, there has be... more Despite the historical and contemporary prevalence of charismatic terrorist leaders, there has been very little empirical examination of the relationship between charismatic forms of authority and the strategic operation of terrorist groups. In response to this gap in knowledge, this study seeks to investigate if charismatic authority has a real-world impact on strategic choices and attack outcomes of terrorist groups. Using a theoretical framework meant to help measure charisma in terrorist organizations, this study quantitatively examines how differing levels of the presence of charismatic authority contributes to the choice in operational tactics (e.g., weapon and target choices) and the results of attack outcomes (e.g., success rates, lethality) within a sample of thirty international terrorist groups. In the concluding section, relevant findings, policy recommendations, study limitations, and areas for future research are discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Quantifying and Qualifying Charisma: A Theoretical Framework for Measuring the Presence of Charismatic Authority in Terrorist Groups (2015)

TSAS and Studies in Conflict and Terrorism

In the past four decades, there has been increased multi-disciplinary scholarly interest in the s... more In the past four decades, there has been increased multi-disciplinary scholarly interest in the study of charismatic authority. However, there has yet to be any systematic examination of charismatic authority in the context of terrorism, despite widespread acknowledgement of the importance of charismatic leaders in the recruitment, radicalization and operation of terrorist groups. This article seeks to contribute to future empirical research by presenting a theoretical framework for measuring the presence of charismatic authority in terrorist groups that is based on Max Weber’s seminal work on legitimate domination (herrschaft) and on theoretical insights drawn from the study of charismatic authority in new religious movements. The framework is then applied to an illustrative case study of the relationship between charismatic authority and the radicalization process within the far-right terrorist group “the Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord.” The article concludes with a discussion of findings and suggestions for future research.

Research paper thumbnail of Leadership Protection in Drug-Trafficking Networks (2015)

Global Crime

Effective leadership is a crucial component in organisational success. This also applies to crimi... more Effective leadership is a crucial component in organisational success. This also applies to criminal networks, who have the added challenge of operating in a high-risk hostile environment. While criminal networks commonly employ communicative and structural practices meant to buffer leadership from exogenous threats, there has been little empirical examination as to their effectiveness. In this article, we review the research literature on the various approaches that profit-oriented illicit networks employ to protect their leaders. We then present sociometric and qualitative data from a previously unexamined drug-trafficking network (the Prada cocaine-trafficking network) as a case study on leadership protection tactics employed by illicit entrepreneurial networks. Results of our analysis are discussed in the conclusion, along with study limitations and areas for future research.

Research paper thumbnail of The Neglected Role of Charismatic Authority in the Study of Terrorist Groups and Radicalization (2014)

Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, Apr 2014

Recent scholarship has called for additional research into the role of charismatic authority in t... more Recent scholarship has called for additional research into the role of charismatic authority in terrorist groups and the process of radicalization. However, the sociological concepts of charisma and charismatic authority are being widely misused in terrorism studies. Current radicalization research often indirectly flirts with core concepts of charismatic authority, but fails to properly tap into its analytical utility. This article proposes to begin addressing this gap in knowledge in three ways, with: (1) a synthesis of social scientific research on charismatic authority, (2) a critical analysis of how charismatic authority is being misused and overlooked in the terrorist radicalization literature, and (3) an exploration of challenges and opportunities for future research concerning charismatic authority and terrorist radicalization.

Research Notes by David C Hofmann

Research paper thumbnail of Twenty Important Articles and Reports on Terrorist Radicalization (2012)

Perspectives on Terrorism, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Selected Literature on (i) Radicalization and Recruitment, (ii) De-Radicalization and Dis-Engagement, and (iii) Counter-Radicalization and Countering Violent Extremism (2012)

Book Reviews by David C Hofmann

Research paper thumbnail of Book Review: Paul Gill - Lone-Actor Terrorists: A Behavioural Analysis

Research paper thumbnail of Book Review: Frazer Egerton's "Jihad in the West: The Rise of Militant Salafism"

Terrorism and Political Violence, Jun 2013

Research paper thumbnail of Book Review: "The Psychology of Terrorism Fears" by J. Sinclair and D. Antonius

Research paper thumbnail of Book Review: The sociology of terrorism: people, places and processes by Stephen Vertigans

Behavioural Sciences of Terrorism and Political Agression, Dec 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Book Review: Clark McCauley and Sophia Moskalenko. Friction: How Radicalization Happens to Them and Us

Research paper thumbnail of A Social Network Analysis of the Toronto 18

Manitoba Law Review, 2021

This chapter employs social network analysis in order to empirically explore the communication ne... more This chapter employs social network analysis in order to empirically explore the communication network established by the Toronto 18 in the three years before their arrest. It provides a basic conceptual overview of the extent, breadth, and nature of ideological and operational communiques between the disparate members within the Toronto 18 to further stimulate scholarly inquiry into similar relational dynamics within analogous terrorist groups. This chapter also provides readers with an understanding of certain group, social, and structural characteristics across three distinct periods: (1) the radicalization phase (January 2003 to October 2005); (2) the winter training camp (November 2005 to December 2005); and (3) the threemonth period surrounding the Opasatika property buying trip (January 2006 to March 2006). Research results are then presented and discussed, along with a brief overview of areas for future research.

Research paper thumbnail of An exploration of right-wing extremist incidents in Atlantic Canada

Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict, 2021

The study of Canadian right-wing extremism from a security context is in its infancy, with only a... more The study of Canadian right-wing extremism from a security context
is in its infancy, with only a handful of empirical and theoretical
studies emerging on the topic within the last decade. With the
increase of right-wing extremism violence in Canada such as the
2014 Moncton shooting and the 2017 Quebec City mosque attack,
there is a pressing need to better understand the breadth, depth, and
extent of Canadian right-wing extremism. The current paper presents
the preliminary findings from a larger cross-Canadian research project on right-wing extremism and focuses exclusively on Atlantic
Canada (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Labrador,
and Prince Edward Island). A comprehensive scoping of opensource documents of right-wing extremist incidents in Atlantic
Canada from January 2000 to December 2019 and their related
attributes were compiled into a dataset, and then used to explore
the distribution, breadth, type, and extent of right-wing extremist
activity in the Maritime provinces. Given the focus of previous
research upon urban aspects of Canadian right-wing extremism,
and that Atlantic Canada is more rural in comparison to the rest of
Canada, the breakdown of occurrences of different types of rightwing extremist activities based upon rurality are also examined.

Research paper thumbnail of Breaking Free: A Socio-Historical Analysis of the Canadian Freemen-on-the-Land Movement (2019)

Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Canada, 2019

In this chapter, I contribute to the nascent body of knowledge on potentially violent Canadian an... more In this chapter, I contribute to the nascent body of knowledge on potentially violent Canadian anti-government movements by providing academics, police, and security practitioners with a primer on the beliefs, practices, and history of the Canadian Freemen-on-the-Land. Given the nature of this volume, I also briefly explore the Canadian Freemen’s potential as an emergent threat to national security. I start with a descriptive overview of the beliefs and methods of the Canadian Freemen-on-the-Land. This is then followed by a socio-historical analysis that links the ideological roots of the Canadian Freemen to the legacy of American far-right anti-government thought over the last forty years. Lastly, based upon key concepts taken from the literature on the root causes of terrorism and what we know from previous cases of North American far-right anti-government violence, I conclude this chapter with a discussion of two conditions that may cause the Freemen to develop into a serious threat to Canadian national security.

Research paper thumbnail of Anti Authority and Militia Movements in Canada (2019)

Journal of Intelligence, Conflict, and Warfare, 2019

Academic explorations of anti-authority movements are virtually non-existent in Canada. We have n... more Academic explorations of anti-authority movements are virtually non-existent in Canada. We have no reliable primary data or empirical insights into Freemen-on-the-Land (FOTL) or other similar contingents. What we do know comes largely from Associate Chief Justice Rooke’s decision in Meads v. Meads (2012). He refers to the loose collection of individuals and small cells as “vexatious litigants.” In the absence of any academic assessment of these movements, we embarked on a one-year pilot project, bringing an exploratory and multi-method approach to this first such study. It is grounded in interviews with law enforcement, lawyers, judges, notaries, and movement adherents (n = 32), along with analysis of open source data which included media reports, court documents, and movement websites.

Research paper thumbnail of How " Alone " are Lone-Actors? Exploring the Ideological, Signaling, and Support Networks of Lone-Actor Terrorists (2018)

Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 2018

Conventional knowledge and early academic work on lone-actor terrorists has popularized the conce... more Conventional knowledge and early academic work on lone-actor terrorists has popularized the concept that they radicalize, operate, plan, and execute plots in relative anonymity, with little connection to formal or more organized groups and networks. However, recent scholarship has increasingly challenged the notion of the “loneliness” of lone-actors. In order to further empirically test this notion, this article uses social network analysis to examine the ideological, signaling, and support networks of two case-studies of lone-actors during the twenty-four months prior to the commission of their first act of terrorist violence.

Research paper thumbnail of "Confrontational but Not Violent" : An Assessment of the Potential for Violence by the Anti-Authority Community in Canada (2018)

Terrorism and Political Violence, 2018

Despite a pervasive concern among law enforcement and security agencies, there are relatively few... more Despite a pervasive concern among law enforcement and security agencies, there are relatively few academic explorations of the likelihood of violence associated with anti-authority activists from groups such as the Freemen-on-the-Land, Sovereign Citizens, and similar movements within Canada. In order to begin addressing this gap in knowledge, this article uses a multi-method approach to explore and assess the potential for crime and violence by the Canadian anti-authority community. Data were gathered from interviews with law enforcement, lawyers, judges, notaries, and movement adherents (n = 32), as well as from the analysis of open source data which included media reports, court documents, and movement websites. Results suggest that there are three distinct classes of criminal and violent activity that are prevalent among Canadian anti-authority movements: (1) offensive/extremist violence; (2) defensive/reactionary violence; and (3) harassment and intimidation. The article concludes with a discussion of two emerging areas of concern related to Canadian anti-authority violence and responses to the anti-authority community in Canada.

Research paper thumbnail of How “Alone” are Lone-Actors?: Exploring the Ideological, Signaling, and Support Networks of Lone-Actor Terrorists (2018)

TSAS Working Paper Series

The threat of lone-actor terrorism poses a unique challenge to security practitioners tasked with... more The threat of lone-actor terrorism poses a unique challenge to security practitioners
tasked with detecting, identifying, and preventing acts of ideologically and politicallymotivated
violence. Conventional knowledge and early academic work on lone-actor
terrorism has popularized the concept that these individuals radicalize, operate, plan,
and execute terrorist plots in relative anonymity, with little connection to formal or
more organized terrorist groups and networks. However, the growing scholarship in
this area has begun to challenge the notion of the “loneliness” of lone-actors, and recent
empirical research (e.g., Hamm and Spaijj 2017; Gill 2015; Joosse 2015) has identified the
crucial role that social relations, socio-political environments, and group dynamics play
in the radicalization and operation of lone-actor terrorists. Put simply, the empirical
evidence suggests that the motivations, methods, and ideologies of lone-actor terrorists
are influenced by their larger socio-political environments and by their interactions and
relationships with other people.
While there is growing consensus among terrorism scholars that questions the level at
which lone-actor terrorists are socially and operationally isolated from others as they
progress towards their first act of terrorist violence, there remains much that is not
known about the extent and types of social, communication, and support relationships
which they create and maintain during this formative period. With this lacuna in
knowledge in mind, the current research employs social network analysis to examine
patterns of social, ideological, communication, and support ties formed over a 24 month
period prior to the commission of the first act of terrorist violence by two case studies of
lone-actor terrorists: Timothy McVeigh, and Michael Zehaf-Bibeau. Extensive relational
data were gathered from open-sourced documents on both case studies, and was then
used to code relational matrices for each lone-actor’s full, ideological, signaling, and
support networks. These matrices were then used to conduct sociometric tests to
analyze relational patterns at the network, group, and individual (ego) levels.

Research paper thumbnail of The study of terrorist leadership: Where do we go from here? (2017)

Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, 2017

Purpose: Despite the recognition of the importance of leaders to the formation and ongoing succe... more Purpose:
Despite the recognition of the importance of leaders to the formation and ongoing success of social and political movements, the study of leadership in terrorist groups remains underdeveloped. This article therefore aims to stimulate additional research into terrorist leadership in three main ways: (1) by providing a broad overview of the theoretical perspectives that scholars have used to examine terrorist leadership, (2) by critically reviewing the current state of the academic literature on terrorist leadership, and (3) by presenting various ways in which future research on terrorist leadership can be improved.

Approach:
This article takes a conceptual and critical approach to reviewing the scholarly literature on terrorist leadership, and draws upon the author’s expertise with the wider multi-disciplinary literature on leadership to make recommendations to improve related future research.

Findings:
There is a paucity of empirical and theoretical research devoted to understanding important social and strategic aspects of terrorist leadership, and existing scholarly research is largely conducted in isolation with differing methodological and epistemological starting points. This has hampered efforts to measure, operationalize, and understand key concepts involving leadership in terrorist groups.

Practical Implications:
This article provides several methodological and conceptual recommendations by which future research on terrorist leadership can be improved from insights taken from the wider scholarly literature on leadership. By virtue of being published in a criminology journal, this article helps disseminate and expose key concepts in the study of terrorism to related disciplines.

Originality/Value:
This article provides a general overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the study of terrorist leadership to scholars and students interested in the topic. It provides a foundational discussion of how the current literature on terrorist conceives of and utilizes the concept of leadership. It also provides methodological and conceptual recommendations to improve future research on terrorist leadership.

Research paper thumbnail of Broadening our Understanding of Anti-Authority Movements in Canada (2017)

Academic explorations of anti-authority movements are virtually non-existent in Canada. We have n... more Academic explorations of anti-authority movements are virtually non-existent in Canada. We have no reliable primary data or empirical insights into Freemen-on-the-Land (FOTL) or other similar contingents. What we do know comes largely from Associate Chief Justice Rooke’s decision in Meads v. Meads (2012). He refers to the loose collection of individuals and small cells as “vexatious litigants.” In the absence of any academic assessment of these movements, we embarked on a one-year pilot project, bringing an exploratory and multi-method approach to this first such study, grounded in interviews with law enforcement, lawyers, judges, notaries, and movement adherents (n = 32), along with analysis of open source data which included media reports, court documents, and movement websites.

Research paper thumbnail of The Influence of Charismatic Authority on Operational Strategies and Attack Outcomes of Terrorist Groups (2016)

Despite the historical and contemporary prevalence of charismatic terrorist leaders, there has be... more Despite the historical and contemporary prevalence of charismatic terrorist leaders, there has been very little empirical examination of the relationship between charismatic forms of authority and the strategic operation of terrorist groups. In response to this gap in knowledge, this study seeks to investigate if charismatic authority has a real-world impact on strategic choices and attack outcomes of terrorist groups. Using a theoretical framework meant to help measure charisma in terrorist organizations, this study quantitatively examines how differing levels of the presence of charismatic authority contributes to the choice in operational tactics (e.g., weapon and target choices) and the results of attack outcomes (e.g., success rates, lethality) within a sample of thirty international terrorist groups. In the concluding section, relevant findings, policy recommendations, study limitations, and areas for future research are discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Quantifying and Qualifying Charisma: A Theoretical Framework for Measuring the Presence of Charismatic Authority in Terrorist Groups (2015)

TSAS and Studies in Conflict and Terrorism

In the past four decades, there has been increased multi-disciplinary scholarly interest in the s... more In the past four decades, there has been increased multi-disciplinary scholarly interest in the study of charismatic authority. However, there has yet to be any systematic examination of charismatic authority in the context of terrorism, despite widespread acknowledgement of the importance of charismatic leaders in the recruitment, radicalization and operation of terrorist groups. This article seeks to contribute to future empirical research by presenting a theoretical framework for measuring the presence of charismatic authority in terrorist groups that is based on Max Weber’s seminal work on legitimate domination (herrschaft) and on theoretical insights drawn from the study of charismatic authority in new religious movements. The framework is then applied to an illustrative case study of the relationship between charismatic authority and the radicalization process within the far-right terrorist group “the Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord.” The article concludes with a discussion of findings and suggestions for future research.

Research paper thumbnail of Leadership Protection in Drug-Trafficking Networks (2015)

Global Crime

Effective leadership is a crucial component in organisational success. This also applies to crimi... more Effective leadership is a crucial component in organisational success. This also applies to criminal networks, who have the added challenge of operating in a high-risk hostile environment. While criminal networks commonly employ communicative and structural practices meant to buffer leadership from exogenous threats, there has been little empirical examination as to their effectiveness. In this article, we review the research literature on the various approaches that profit-oriented illicit networks employ to protect their leaders. We then present sociometric and qualitative data from a previously unexamined drug-trafficking network (the Prada cocaine-trafficking network) as a case study on leadership protection tactics employed by illicit entrepreneurial networks. Results of our analysis are discussed in the conclusion, along with study limitations and areas for future research.

Research paper thumbnail of The Neglected Role of Charismatic Authority in the Study of Terrorist Groups and Radicalization (2014)

Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, Apr 2014

Recent scholarship has called for additional research into the role of charismatic authority in t... more Recent scholarship has called for additional research into the role of charismatic authority in terrorist groups and the process of radicalization. However, the sociological concepts of charisma and charismatic authority are being widely misused in terrorism studies. Current radicalization research often indirectly flirts with core concepts of charismatic authority, but fails to properly tap into its analytical utility. This article proposes to begin addressing this gap in knowledge in three ways, with: (1) a synthesis of social scientific research on charismatic authority, (2) a critical analysis of how charismatic authority is being misused and overlooked in the terrorist radicalization literature, and (3) an exploration of challenges and opportunities for future research concerning charismatic authority and terrorist radicalization.

Research paper thumbnail of Twenty Important Articles and Reports on Terrorist Radicalization (2012)

Perspectives on Terrorism, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Selected Literature on (i) Radicalization and Recruitment, (ii) De-Radicalization and Dis-Engagement, and (iii) Counter-Radicalization and Countering Violent Extremism (2012)

Research paper thumbnail of Book Review: Paul Gill - Lone-Actor Terrorists: A Behavioural Analysis

Research paper thumbnail of Book Review: Frazer Egerton's "Jihad in the West: The Rise of Militant Salafism"

Terrorism and Political Violence, Jun 2013

Research paper thumbnail of Book Review: "The Psychology of Terrorism Fears" by J. Sinclair and D. Antonius

Research paper thumbnail of Book Review: The sociology of terrorism: people, places and processes by Stephen Vertigans

Behavioural Sciences of Terrorism and Political Agression, Dec 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Book Review: Clark McCauley and Sophia Moskalenko. Friction: How Radicalization Happens to Them and Us

Research paper thumbnail of Book Review: "The 9/11 Effect: Comparative Counter-Terrorism" by Kent Roach

Research paper thumbnail of Expanding Your Research Horizons: Summer Internships at START (2014)

The Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security, and Society Student Blog

Research paper thumbnail of Daring to use drones: Why targeted killings are a necessary component in modern counter-insurgency campaigns (2014)

Strife Blog - War College, London, Apr 2014