Structural Devolution: Cell-based Terrorism to Brand Franchising
For extended periods of its history, terrorist organizations were cell-based, which was a way to protect the whole organization while having a certain level of flexibility to carry out operations. The cells however still gravitated around a node and structure based on hierarchy. This is the classic form of terrorist organizations. In 2004, former CIA analyst and psychologist Marc Sageman wrote in hid book Understanding Terror Networks about the novelty of the post-9/11 Al Qaida structure, one based on spontaneous, independent groups that were only connected by the MO and a religious/ideological philosophy, namely a Salafi interpretation of Islam. This created a nightmare for security forces because the classic methods Continue reading Structural Devolution: Cell-based Terrorism to Brand Franchising