Kim Cragin

Scott Gerwehr

The U.S. government has long used a strategic influence policy to promote its national security interests. The war on terrorism is no different. Conducting this war effectively requires our government to dissuade terrorists from attacking the United States, divert youths from joining terrorist groups, and persuade the leaders of states and nongovernmental institutions to withhold support for terrorists. This report addresses the role of strategic influence-its potential uses and limitations-in achieving these objectives.

Strategic Influence and the Struggle Against Terrorism

Dissuading Terror

Brian A. Jackson

Peter Chalk

John C. Baker

John V. Parachini

Better ways are needed to understand how terrorist groups become more effective and dangerous. Learning is the link between what a group wants to do and its ability to actually do it; therefore, a better understanding of group learning might contribute to the design of better measures for combating terrorism. This study analyzes current understanding of group learning and the factors that influence it and outlines a framework that should be useful in present analytical efforts and for identifying areas requiring further study.

Organizational Learning in Terrorist Groups and Its Implications for Combating Terrorism

Aptitude for Destruction, Volume 1

Sara A. Daly

Case studies of 11 terrorist groups in Mindanao, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and southwest Colombia show how these groups have exchanged technologies and knowledge in an effort to innovate (i.e., improve their operational capabilities). The analysis provides national security policymakers with insight into the innovation process and suggests ways that government policies can create barriers to terrorists' adoption of new technologies.

Terrorist Groups and the Exchange of New Technologies

Sharing the Dragon's Teeth

Angel Rabasa

Robert D. Blackwill

C. Christine Fair

This study of the Mumbai, India, terrorist attack of November 2008 identifies the operational and tactical capabilities displayed by the terrorists and evaluates the response of the Indian security forces, with the goal of helping counterterrorism authorities in India and elsewhere to prepare for or counter future terrorist attacks on urban centers.

The Lessons of Mumbai

Paul K. Davis

Employs an interdisciplinary, social science approach to various counterterrorism questions, problems, and policies.

Putting the Pieces Together

Social Science for Counterterrorism

Better ways are needed to understand how terrorist groups increase their effectiveness and become more dangerous. Learning is the link between what a group wants to do and its ability to actually do it; therefore, a better understanding of group learning might contribute to the design of better measures for combating terrorism. This study analyzes current understanding of group learning and the factors that influence it. It presents detailed case studies of learning in five terrorist organizations and develops a methodology for ascertaining what and why groups have learned, providing insights into their learning processes.

Kim Cragin

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