Categorizing Violent Extremist Organizations
Advisor Information
Gina Ligon
Location
Milo Bail Student Center Dodge Room B
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Start Date
8-3-2013 3:45 PM
End Date
8-3-2013 4:00 PM
Abstract
Violent extremist organizations differ from other ideologically-based groups that do not necessarily meet formal criteria to be considered organizations, and distinguishing between these types of collective arrangements is critical in understanding their strengths and weaknesses. Three arrangements of individuals with varying levels of sophistication were identified: groups, simple organizations, and complex organizations. Each arrangement is discussed in terms of its influence on fundraising, recruiting, and attack execution, with particular emphasis being placed on exemplars from the white supremacist ideology. Despite their shared ideology, white supremacists illustrate marked performance-related differences that are influenced by organizational factors such as leadership, structure, and formalization. Analyzing those differences led to the conclusion that organizations are unique from groups, different structures are best suited for certain strategies, leadership matters a great deal in the context of violent extremist organizations, and organizations are not static.
Categorizing Violent Extremist Organizations
Milo Bail Student Center Dodge Room B
Violent extremist organizations differ from other ideologically-based groups that do not necessarily meet formal criteria to be considered organizations, and distinguishing between these types of collective arrangements is critical in understanding their strengths and weaknesses. Three arrangements of individuals with varying levels of sophistication were identified: groups, simple organizations, and complex organizations. Each arrangement is discussed in terms of its influence on fundraising, recruiting, and attack execution, with particular emphasis being placed on exemplars from the white supremacist ideology. Despite their shared ideology, white supremacists illustrate marked performance-related differences that are influenced by organizational factors such as leadership, structure, and formalization. Analyzing those differences led to the conclusion that organizations are unique from groups, different structures are best suited for certain strategies, leadership matters a great deal in the context of violent extremist organizations, and organizations are not static.