The dark side of social capital : social ties, radicalization and terror operations

Terrorism studies has long been a field overly saturated with criminological, political and psychological inclinations. My primary aim in this exploratory study is to bring sociology back into the conversation on terrorism studies. Specifically, I intend to explore the relationship between social ties, radicalization and terror operations through the prism of a social capital framework. Through this framework, I argue that social capital can act as a pathway for radicalization processes as well as a conduit for easy facilitation of covert terror activities through intimate social relationships and the characteristics that underlie these relations. Furthermore, this study adds value by augmenting the current quantitative approach of Social Network Analysis (SNA) with a qualitative perspective. SNA has often been touted as a complementary approach to other conventional counterterrorism measures but also repeatedly criticized for being too empirical in its usage as it seems to lack theoretical underpinnings. By adopting a social capital framework, I seek to give meaning to this empirical data of SNA by unveiling the mechanisms and pathways that underlie these networks. This study will then allow SNA practitioners to move away from merely describing empirical data to providing meaningful explanations when analysing these terrorists’ networks. Ultimately, the objective of this study is to illuminate and provide greater context and clarity in the pathways that might influence radicalization and terror operations such that practical and viable counterterrorism methods can be formulated in the greater fight against the war on terror.Master of Science (Strategic Studies