Naval Postgraduate School
Dudley Knox Library
NPS Dudley Knox Library
View Item 
  •   Calhoun Home
  • Theses and Dissertations
  • 1. Thesis and Dissertation Collection, all items
  • View Item
  •   Calhoun Home
  • Theses and Dissertations
  • 1. Thesis and Dissertation Collection, all items
  • View Item
  • How to search in Calhoun
  • My Accounts
  • Ask a Librarian
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

Browse

All of CalhounCollectionsThis Collection

My Account

LoginRegister

Statistics

Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

The leaderless social movement organization unstoppable power or last-ditch effort

Thumbnail
Download
Icon10Dec_Hsu.pdf (2.220Mb)
Download Record
Download to EndNote/RefMan (RIS)
Download to BibTex
Author
Low, Brian C.
Date
2010-12
Advisor
Lee, Doowan
Second Reader
Freeman, Michael
Metadata
Show full item record
Abstract
Since September 11, 2001, the United States and its partners around the world have significantly damaged al Qaeda's organizational structure, transforming what was once a robust terrorist network into one that is disaggregated and much less effective. Despite losing a considerable portion of its leadership in the war on terror, al Qaeda remains supportive of insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it continues to perpetuate the Salafi-Jihadi ideology throughout the Middle East and beyond. As we continue to pursue a strategy aimed to further dismantle al Qaeda's leadership, we must consider, what happens if we succeed? What should we expect to happen to the central organization if we kill or capture top-tier al Qaeda leadership such as Ayman al-Zawahiri or Osama bin Laden? Will the organization continue to be a threat without a recognizable leader? This research seeks to examine under what conditions a social movement organization will be effective without a leader. Advisors and scholars alike have dichotomous opinions regarding the potential effectiveness of leaderless social movement organizations. Social movement theorists have yet to examine leaderless organizations through the lens of their models. By examining leaderless social movement organizations in terms of the political process model, we will gain a better understanding of why leaderless structures may be more effective for some organizations and less effective for others. This research will expand the existing body of social movement literature and provide a theory for predicting the potential effectiveness of leaderless social movement organizations.
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.
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10945/5077
Collections
  • 1. Thesis and Dissertation Collection, all items

Related items

Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

  • Thumbnail

    DOMESTIC EXTREMISTS AND LEADERLESS RESISTANCE 

    Powers, Blaine M. (Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School, 2022-03);
    Leaderless resistance, as a model for terrorism, is used to overcome the collective action problem to varying degrees of success. Originally exploited by various White Power groups (WPG) in the second half of the 20th ...
  • Thumbnail

    The SMO-COIN nexus using social movement theory to demobilize insurgency 

    Metzger, Mark D. (Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School, 2009-06);
    Victory in irregular war and insurgency is not simply a matter of combat actions and civic aid; it is a matter of population mobilization. Winning the sympathy of the population will do little good for either the state ...
  • Thumbnail

    Phases of violent extremism: targeting the evolution of Al-Shabaab 

    Jordan, Richard S.; Venter, Nathaniel B. Van De (Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School, 2015-12);
    The events of September 11, 2001, and the reactions that followed sparked a surge in international terrorist organizations, resulting in increased threat to U.S. national security. Although military operations have had ...
NPS Dudley Knox LibraryDUDLEY KNOX LIBRARY
Feedback

411 Dyer Rd. Bldg. 339
Monterey, CA 93943
circdesk@nps.edu
(831) 656-2947
DSN 756-2947

    Federal Depository Library      


Start Your Research

Research Guides
Academic Writing
Ask a Librarian
Copyright at NPS
Graduate Writing Center
How to Cite
Library Liaisons
Research Tools
Thesis Processing Office

Find & Download

Databases List
Articles, Books & More
NPS Theses
NPS Faculty Publications: Calhoun
Journal Titles
Course Reserves

Use the Library

My Accounts
Request Article or Book
Borrow, Renew, Return
Tech Help
Remote Access
Workshops & Tours

For Faculty & Researchers
For International Students
For Alumni

Print, Copy, Scan, Fax
Rooms & Study Spaces
Floor Map
Computers & Software
Adapters, Lockers & More

Collections

NPS Archive: Calhoun
Restricted Resources
Special Collections & Archives
Federal Depository
Homeland Security Digital Library

About

Hours
Library Staff
About Us
Special Exhibits
Policies
Our Affiliates
Visit Us

NPS-Licensed Resources—Terms & Conditions
Copyright Notice

Naval Postgraduate School

Naval Postgraduate School
1 University Circle, Monterey, CA 93943
Driving Directions | Campus Map

This is an official U.S. Navy Website |  Please read our Privacy Policy Notice  |  FOIA |  Section 508 |  No FEAR Act |  Whistleblower Protection |  Copyright and Accessibility |  Contact Webmaster

Export search results

The export option will allow you to export the current search results of the entered query to a file. Different formats are available for download. To export the items, click on the button corresponding with the preferred download format.

A logged-in user can export up to 15000 items. If you're not logged in, you can export no more than 500 items.

To select a subset of the search results, click "Selective Export" button and make a selection of the items you want to export. The amount of items that can be exported at once is similarly restricted as the full export.

After making a selection, click one of the export format buttons. The amount of items that will be exported is indicated in the bubble next to export format.