To the greatest lengths al Qaeda, proximity, and recruitment risk
Authors
Rodriguez, Ismael R.
Subjects
Advisors
Date of Issue
2010-12
Date
Publisher
Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
In October 2007, a raid in the town of Sinjar, Iraq produced a large trove of foreign fighter personnel records. In the years since this discovery, researchers have used this data in an effort to illuminate the places from which recruits joined Al Qaeda and associated movements. While that research is important, it has placed little emphasis on the particular hometowns of these fighters. Thus, building upon social movement theory, environmental criminology, and geospatial analysis techniques, this research will build and test several spatial regression models of the factors potentially contributing to Al Qaeda recruitment patterns in North Africa. Moreover, this study also applies a new spatial crime analysis technique that maps risk terrain in a process using environmental factors to calculate the risk of recruitment. In all, these spatially integrated social science techniques hold great potential for improving intelligence support to ongoing contingency operations.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Defense Analysis (DA)
Organization
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
xvi, 127 p. : col. maps ;
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.