The individual terrorist has proven capable of committing a wide range of violent attacks. Given that lone wolf attacks are a growing phenomenon, however, and that terrorists are always looking for new techniques, counterterrorism professionals must. Lone wolf terrorism cuts across the entire political and religious spectrum. Americas experience with terrorism and lone wolf terrorism. The reality is that this type of terrorism is not new at all, in fact it goes back a long time. Lone wolves are an emerging force in the world of terrorism, and as an internal security threat within the united states, both now and in the foreseeable future, and simons book gives us a basic analytic framework for understanding it. He believes that the most serious threats remain those posed by groupbased terrorists12. After delving into the diversity in motivations and backgrounds of lone wolf terrorists, simon makes the following key points about this growing threat. May 04, 2017 a lone wolf does not have to be inspired by a foreign terrorist group.
A comparative analysis with violent hate crimes and groupbased terrorism. Secretary napolitano stressed that there was no reason to think that domestic lone wolf attacks would not continue. A new era in terrorism is emerging and the lone wolf is at the forefront. Boren, former us senator, longest serving chairman of the us senate intelligence committee, and current president of the university of oklahoma relying on a selective, but broad, gathering of case studies. Lone wolf terrorism understanding the growing threat. The 19 men who carried out the attacks were jihadis who had been hand picked, trained, equipped and.
In addition, we look into the challenge of countering lone wolf terrorism and map out possible responses to prevent attacks in this paper for the expert meeting entitled lone wolves. Though not a new form of terrorism, the emergence of the lone wolf terrorist increasingly has been seen a growing threat to america. Lone wolf terrorism is a growing phenomenon, and research on the topic is severely lacking1. Feb 21, 20 lone wolf terrorism is a growing concern for governments, law enforcement agencies, and societies around the world. This study also reveals that the vast majority of this violence is coming from lone wolves or leaderless resistance groups, most of. The lone wolf trend should be contextualized in the evolution of conflict and strategy in which smaller and smaller entities figure prominently.
He is a visiting lecturer in the department of political science at. Maybe an undiscovered facet your good offices should consider is a face to face set of 3 questions that must be answered before a. These have included mass shootings, bombings, assassinations, anthrax attacks, and a variety of other incidents. The ideology of these loners has changed, but the circumstances and. Understanding a growing threat, in lone actors an emerging security threat, ed. Understanding the threat from lone wolf terrorists greatly improves our ability to combat the threat that confronts us. A new report has shed light on the growing threat of terrorist attacks carried out by individuals. Simon exposes the innovative role of the individual terrorist who answers only. Using knowledge of radicalization pathways to forge. Simon exposes the innovative role of the individual terrorist who answers only to himself and is not constrained by groupthink. Understanding the growing threat which appeared in february 20 is one of the relatively few studies of this type of threat. Any policy regarding lone wolves that focuses exclusively on the threat of islamic extremists or the influence of the islamic state or al qaeda is misguided.
Pdf on oct 1, 2015, jasonleigh striegher and others published understanding lone wolf terrorism. Lone wolf terrorism a brief bibliography homeland security. One was the international conference on lone wolf terrorism organized by the national centre for terrorist threat assessment november 12, 2011 in stockholm, at which the writer delivered an academic paper. Drawing on extensive international data and qualitative case studies, it examines the global patterns in and key features of lone wolf terrorism over the past four decades. May 02, 20 hot on the heels of ramon spaaijs understanding lone wolf terrorism, this is the second book on this resurgent phenomenon in as many years. Simon, published by prometheus books, new york city, ny in 20 synopsis edit. Understanding the growing threat a clear, convincing analysis of the emerging technological wave of international terrorism in the modern world. Terrorism expert simon the terrorist trap explores the potential threat posed by a single person, or lone wolf, in this unsettling look into how the current political and technological landscape h.
They write that stochastic terrorism is the method of international recruitment used by isis, and they refer to anwar alawlaki and alex jones as stochastic. Lone wolf terrorism hardcover understanding the growing threat. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Tracing the motivations and antecedent behaviors of lone actor terrorists. Christopher hewitt, law enforcement tactics and their effectiveness in dealing with american terrorism. The author does a good job chronicling the history of lone wolf terrorism as well as classifying the motivational types of lone wolf terrorists.
Trends and developments in lone wolf terrorism in the western. Scholars also suggest that lone wolf terrorism what we. In its original sense, a lone wolf is an animal or person that generally lives or spends time alone. Understanding the growing threat kindle edition by simon, jeffrey d. Lone wolf terrorism was adopted by al qaeda after september 11, 2001, when us military forces attacked its operational base in afghanistan. Click download or read online button to get lone wolf terrorism book now.
Lone wolf terrorism download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. They may be influenced or motivated by the ideology and beliefs of an external group and may act in support of such a group. Department of homeland security, told a congressional hearing that domestic lone wolf terrorism was a growing threat to the nation understanding the homeland threat landscape, 2011. Trends and developments in lone wolf terrorism in the. Simon, brian michael jenkins foreword by prometheus books, 9781616146467, 335pp. After a brief discussion of the epistemological and phenomenological difficulties associated with the concept of lone wolf terrorism, a number of possible counterterrorist approaches are discussed. Lone wolf terrorism is a wakeup call to those who view terrorism solely as a threat that comes from large groups acting through wellorganized networks. For the first time, an indepth analysis is provided of the key features of lone wolf terrorism worldwide over the last four decades. Although not a threat to be taken lightly, lone wolf attacks typically perpetrated with light weaponry such as knives, axes, or bulldozers generally result in low casualty numbers. The threat from solo terrorism and lone wolf terrorism 5. The purpose of this analysis is to describe the threat from solo terrorism and lone wolf terrorism against the west, including against denmark. Former central intelligence agency director leon panetta observed in his recent memoir that socalled lone wolf terrorists terrorists who work without group assistance. Many years since, in the age of a permanent terrorism threat, the lone wolf against pack attack becomes our reality. This chapter takes a qualitative approach to one aspect of contemporary terrorism, selfdirected lone wolf terrorism by.
Relying on a selective, but broad, gathering of case studies, simon presents a lively and wellpaced overview of a subject that is attracting increasing attention. Hewitts 2003 study identified 30 cases of lone wolf terrorism in the united states between. Jasparros 2010 study asserts that lone wolf terrorism is not a big threat, as lone wolf attacks carry a poor record of success, and result in fewer fatalities. Simon, phd, is president of political risk assessment company inc. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading lone wolf terrorism. Understanding the threat of lone wolf terrorism law. Central intelligence agency cia director leon panetta told congress a year earlier that its the lone wolf strategy that i think we have to pay attention to as the main threat to this country. The threat posed by terrorism today is changing rapidlyas have methods of study of this phenomenon, including analysis of radicalisation and the terrorist cycle. Ios press ebooks lone actors an emerging security threat. A lone terrorist or lone wolf, is someone who prepares and commits violent acts alone, outside of any command structure and without material assistance from any group. Lone wolf terrorism is a growing concern for security and a puzzle for social science. In their 2017 book age of lone wolf terrorism, criminologist mark s. Unfortunately, emotion and shaky logic stand in the way of a coldly effective national security approach. After a brief discussion of the epistemological and phenomenological difficulties associated with the concept of lone wolf terrorism, a number of possible counter terrorist.
One of the first indepth analyses of lone wolf terrorism, this publication sets out to answer these questions. Understanding the growing threat find, read and cite all the research you need on. Lone wolvesactors of terrorism compiled by eric price bspt ep 201502 nb. Is the lone wolf terrorism understanding the growing threat your needed book now. From anders breivik in norway, who murdered scores of young people in a bombing and massshooting attack, to nidal malik hasan in the united states, who killed many of his fellow soldiers after opening fire at a military base, lone wolves have demonstrated that they can. Hamm and sociologist ramon spaaij discuss stochastic terrorism as a form of indirect enabling of terrorists. Lone wolf terrorists have long been a troublesome issue for policymakers and intelligence agencies. From anders breivik in norway, who murdered scores of young people in a bombing and massshooting attack, to nidal malik hasan in the united states, who killed several of his fellow soldiers at fort hood, texas, lone wolves have demonstrated that they can be as dangerous as organized terrorist groups. What can be done about the lone wolf terrorist threat. Mar 30, 2017 a fter 911, lone wolf terrorism suddenly seemed like a distraction from more serious threats. From anders breivik in norway, who murdered scores of young people in a bombing and massshooting attack, to nidal malik hasan in the united states, who killed many of his fellow.
Dickson 5 a narrower definition offered by spaaij 2010 attempts to isolate the phenomenon of lone wolf terrorism and specifies, a lone wolf terrorist may identify or sympathize with extremist movements or terrorist organizations, however if they join an established organization, they cease to be deemed as a lone wolf. Lone wolf or lone wolves and terrorism or terrorist. Marlatt at the naval postgraduate school, contains a list of resources related to lone wolf terrorism. Understanding the growing threat is a book by jeffrey d. Lone wolf terrorism poses a growing threat to western nations.
The myth of the lone wolf terrorist news the guardian. Emerging threat of lone wolf terrorism requires cold. Understanding loneactor terrorism homeland security. We describe two very different cases of lone wolf terrorism. Attacks carried out by individuals is no new phenomenon, however, it is noteworthy that in the past two years several attacks or attempts at attack in western countries. Apr 14, 2017 a lone wolf does not have to be inspired by a foreign terrorist group. Although most episodes of lone wolf terrorism have not been highly destructive, there are notable exceptions that have claimed a substantial number of victims. Your points are descriptive about lone wolf actions and late discovery of their evil intentions. Towards a theoretical framework for comparative analysis.
This book is essential reading for anyone concerned about the potential terrorist threats from violenceprone individuals in our midst. The second was an event on the lone wolf challenge. Jeffrey d simon from anders breivik in norway, who murdered scores of young people in a bombing and massshooting attack, to omar mateen, the orlando killer who perpetrated the worst mass shooting in american. While there have been many studies of the motivations. Search terms used to help compileupdate this bibliography include. Lone wolf terrorism is the new catchy term being over used by by the news factories like cnn and fox. Lone wolf terrorism a brief bibliography updated august 2019 show summary open resource pdf open full abstract this bibliography, compiled by greta e. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. To say that lone wolf terrorism is a neglected field of research is an understatement. Simon presents the first comprehensive treatment of this important issue. Jan 01, 20 lone wolf terrorism is the new catchy term being over used by by the news factories like cnn and fox. Book lovers, when you need a new book to read, find the book here. Whereas that study, by a lonewolf specialist, was concise and quantitative, this account by terrorism consultant jeffrey simon is expansive and qualitative. Though not, as the books marketing copy says, the first or only one.
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