Understanding Terror Networks

by Marc Sageman (University of Pennsylvania Press). Rating: 4.5/5.

Amazon price: $19.77, List price: $29.95, Used & new from: $11.97. BUY NOW

Reviews from Amazon

Terror Networks without the Hype...

2004's "Understanding Terror Networks" is a detailed look at al-Qaeda and its associated networks, the new Mujahedin of radical Islam. Author Marc Sageman is a Doctor of Psychiatry and Sociology, with intelligence and foreign service experience in the effort to expel the Soviets from Afghanistan in the 1980's. Using open source data, he examines a large sampling of information on individual terrorists to determine what makes them tick and how they network. The end result is far more useful than the anecdote-based journalism that fills bookstores.

Sageman documents that the typical Islamic terrorist is a young man from a loving middle class family, often well-educated, who becomes alienated through work or study in a foreign country or even a large city in the Middle East. He reaches out to fellow Muslims, typically some combination of kin and close friends, for a sense of identity and belonging. For those few who become terrorists, a combination of exposure to a radical Islamic message, reinforced by his bonds with fellow radicals, is coupled with access to the Mujahedin for training and direction. The popular image of the poor, uneducated, psychotic suicide bomber does not survive Sageman's analysis.

Sageman also identifies the hubs of the current Mujahedin movement, the Central Staff around Osama bin Laden, the Southeast Asia group, the Magreb group from North Africa, and the Core Arab group from Egypt and the Saudi Peninsula. He traces the nature of the networks that link these groupings and how bin Laden has expertly exploited these connections to carry out his particular jihad. The loose, self-recruiting nature of the various groups and their general lack of a rigid hierarchy makes them hard to find and harder to eliminate. On the other hand, the dependence on communications within the groups and with the major hubs makes them vulnerable to attack, as recent U.S. and allied efforts have succeeded in disrupting or defeating a number of plots since 9/11. Sageman provides some suggestions in his conclusion for more focused intelligence and law enforcement efforts against the terror networks.

"Understanding Terror Networks" is very highly recommended to the intelligence, military, or law enforcement professional seeking a better understanding of our terrorist opponents. Sageman's prose tends to be quite dry, but the persistent reader will be well-rewarded.

Rating: 5

Riveting Look Inside the Terrorist Networks

An outstanding book that provides the reader not only with the structure of terror networks, but also information as to why and how individuals and groups join the global jihad. Based on extensive research of known terrorists, the author, in my opinion, has drawn the proper conclusions and supports each of his claims in an easily understood manner.

I especially liked the author's attempts to provide feasible actions that the government should consider to better attack these networks and improve the security of our nation. Additionally, I found the author's description of the type of individuals (age, marital status, education level etc.) that join these terrorist networks extremely interesting and surprising.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a fresh look inside the terrorist networks.

Rating: 5

Good analysis of terrorist networks

A most useful work on terrorism, with a focus on the origins of the Salafi jihad. His method? He examines the biographical data on 172 terrorists to study this "network." He, in essence, debunks a number of theories of terrorists, e.g., psychological theories. His thesis is clearly and simply stated thus (page vii): "[The data] suggest. . .that this form of terrorism is an emergent quality of the social networks formed by alienated young men who become transformed into fanatics yearning for martyrdom and eager to kill."

His study of the linkages among four networks, the Maghreb Arabs, Core Arabs, Southeast Asians, and Central Staff (Osama bin Laden and his core supporters), leads him to describe the actual linkages in a nice diagram on page 138.

He begins the volume with an historical analysis, tracing the roots of what has evolved into, as he puts it, the Salafi jihad. He looks at early figures, such Mohamed ibn Abd al-Wahhab. He describes the emergence of a particular view of jihad. He notes the emergence of groups across a number of countries and how some of these, over time, developed into his putative Salafi jihad network.

Then, to the heart of the matter. Why do some people become jihadists within this movement and others not? He ends up dismissing many standard theories and asserts, instead, that social networks are the key. The basis for this conclusion, again, is the perusal of the biographical data set that he developed (see the appendix listing those about whom he has gathered data on pages 185-189.

In the final chapter, he speaks of how his analysis might assist in attacking the movement and reducing the odds of future terrorist actions from them. Whether or not readers will be convinced will be a matter for each person to judge. Nonetheless, he does make an effort to use his analysis to address strategy and tactics in the campaign against terrorism.

This is a useful book to read, in juxtaposition with others by Bloom, Pape, and so on. As a package, these works help to illuminate the reality of terrorism--not the often simplistic views depicted in the media.

Rating: 5

Understanding Terror Networks?

Understanding Salafist Sunni Muslims Extremists Would be a better title. The author concentrated mainly in Sunni "the enemies of the US" no Shia. While Hizballah is shia. He make some interesting points saing that In - group love is a better way to see terrorism than Out - group Hate. Why not a combination of both?
We know every individual have his psychological make - up and his own reasons to join a movement. A lot of them goes because indoctrination and they don't know anything beside the cultural doctrine and probably less about Islam, Sayyid Qutb or Hassan Banna, others might go to fill his self vaccum, looking for afilliation with somethng that it's respected - "Inasmuch as I'm not being respected and will be"..., so filing personal security necesities joining. Leftist, racist right movements, and so forth need to be see in difference perspectives. With so many arm groups in the middle east shia and sunni it will be very unwisely name all the same thing. Each one need to be observe in their community inmediate historical context than simply base on Egypts muslim brothehood (HAMAS, Qaeda, Palestinan Islamic Jihad, Egiptian Islamic Jihad and many other inspiration) fascits roots. Almost half of the book is centered in the brotherhood.
The author relies in a interesting personal statistical analysis. The problem is that statistics don't give psychological explanations neither sociological.

Rating: 4

Excellent examination of the structure and growth of global jihadist networks

Sageman brings a great deal of insight to his examination of the behavior of individuals and groups within terror networks. The book is very strong as advertised: an empirical examination of how terrorists relate to each other, and a series of logical conclusions given the available data as to how such networks originate and act.

Small weaknesses: some of the more tangential discussions within this book are relatively bereft of citation, and those parts tend to be correspondingly weak arguments (such as the straw man about ISI funding). Additionally (and in conjunction with that), Sageman's analysis of JI's situation is dated and has been proven inaccurate - instead of disappearing, it has tended to adapt in much the same way as the rest of the global jihadists (International Crisis Group has a great report on Noordin Mohamed Top's networks throughout Indonesia, as of Jan 07). Sageman might be able to argue that the jihad has changed to a more local form, despite the bombings of the J.W. Marriott in Jakarta in 03, the Australian Embassy in 04, and the second Bali bombing in 05, all related to Top's network... but the ICG report argues it is merely a more autonomous cell than previously known in Indonesia, and the danger is that more low-level cells will take up the fight (additionally, Ba'asyir was never sentenced for more than a few years, and thus never 'out of play' as Sageman treated him). Several of the ICG reports also list Southeast Asians and their ties. Many of them are not connected heirarchically through Pondok Ngruki or the Malaysian school, as Sageman states, but rather through training in Afghanistan or actions (jihads) in Maluku or Poso.

I wouldn't say that this book is any sort of substitute for a thorough history of global jihadist terrorism (recommend Jason Burke's 'Al Qaeda', though it pays little attention to Southeast Asia, for which you could suppliment with Maria Ressa's more sensational but still illuminating book 'Seeds of Terror'). I would say that it is essential reading for ANY law enforcement, community members, or mosque-goers who might be on the alert for terror suspects.

Overall, it is VERY strong for, as advertised: "Understanding Terror Networks."
(Just ignore the parts about JI).

Rating: 4

Know this book? Why not review it