ISSN 2334-3745 Volume XII, Issue 1 February 2018 PERSPECTIVES ON TERRORISM Volume 12, Issue 1 Table of Contents Welcome from the Editors.............................................................................................................2 Articles Reconsidering Radicalization: Fanaticism and the Link Between Ideas and Violence...............................................................................................................................................3 by Bart Schuurman and Max Taylor Explaining Civilian Attacks: Terrorist Networks, Principal-Agent Problems and Target Selection...............................................................................................................................23 by Max Abrahms, Matthew Ward and Ryan Kennedy Terrorist Tactics by Criminal Organizations: The Mexican Case in Context.................46 by Brian J. Phillips Terrorist Prison Breaks.................................................................................................................59 by Trevor Cloen, Yelena Biberman and Farhan Zahid Research Notes Radicalization: A Subtype of Religious Conversion?............................................................69 by Julien van den Elzen Black-boxing the Black Flag: Anonymous Sharing Platforms and ISIS Content Distribution Tactics........................................................................................................................81 by Ahmad Shehabat and Teodor Mitew Resources Terrorism Bookshelf.....................................................................................................................100 Capsule Reviews by Joshua Sinai Bibliography: Social Aspects of Terrorism............................................................................112 Compiled and selected by Judith Tinnes Bibliography: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (Part 2).............................................................152 Compiled and selected by Judith Tinnes Recent Online Resources for the Analysis of Terrorism and Related Subjects...........186 Compiled and selected by Berto Jongman 209 Academic Theses (Ph.D. and MA) on Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Related Issues, Written in French, Spanish, Italian, German, Dutch and Norwegian.............216 Compiled and selected by Ryan Scrivens TRI Thesis Award 2017 Announcement..................................................................................231 Words of Appreciation from the Editors................................................................................232 About Perspectives on Terrorism............................................................................................234 ISSN 2334-3745 i February 2018 PERSPECTIVES ON TERRORISM Volume 12, Issue 1 Welcome from the Editors Dear Reader, We are pleased to announce the release of Volume XII, Issue 1 (February 2018) of Perspectives on Terrorism, available in both HTML and PDF versions at http://www.terrorismanalysts.com and in PDF version (only) at https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/perspectives-on-terrorism. Our free and independent online journal is a publication of the Terrorism Research Initiative (TRI) and the Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA) of Leiden University’s Campus The Hague. Now in its twelfth year, Perspectives on Terrorism has nearly 7,800 regular subscribers and many more occasional readers and website visitors worldwide. The Articles of its six annual issues are fully peer reviewed by external referees while its Research and Policy Notes, Special Correspondence and other content are subject to internal editorial quality control. Here is a brief look at the contents of the current issue: The first article by Bart Schuurman and Max Taylor explores definitional aspects of the terms radicalization and fanaticism, suggesting the latter term might be more appropriate for understanding the drivers behind a person’s involvement in terrorist violence. Then Max Abrahms, Matthew Ward and Ryan Kennedy draw on insights from organizational ecology and conflict literature to develop a theory about why some terrorist groups are more likely than others to target civilians. Next, Brian Philips examines the uses of terrorist tactics by criminal organizations in Mexico, particularly bombings, threats of violence and attacks against politicians. And in our final article of this issue Trevor Cloen, Yelena Biberman and Farhan Zahid explore why terrorists and insurgents have used nonviolent means to carry out prison breaks. This issue of Perspectives on Terrorism also features a Research Note by Julien van den Elzen, who compares models of religious conversion and radicalization, and another by Ahmad Shehabat and Teodor Mitew that looks at ISIS content distribution tactics using anonymous file sharing services. In the Resources section readers will find a column of 18 short book reviews by Joshua Sinai, followed by two extensive bibliographies compiled by the journal’s Information Resources Editor, Judith Tinnes. These are followed by a detailed list of recent online, open-source publications on terrorism and counterterrorism, compiled by web analyst Berto Jongman. And Ryan Scrivens provides an extensive list of Ph.D. dissertations and M.A. theses on terrorism and counterterrorism. Finally, the issue concludes with some announcements from the Editorial Board. First, we provide the details of the TRI Award for Best Ph.D. Thesis 2017. And we formally thank and identify (unless they request otherwise) the peer reviewers, editorial board members and other colleagues who have worked with us over the past year to publish quality research in this journal. The current issue of Perspectives on Terrorism was jointly prepared by editor James J.F. Forest and associate editor Greg Miller, with assistance from Prof. em. Alex P. Schmid, the editor-in-chief of the journal. ISSN 2334-3745 2 February 2018 PERSPECTIVES ON TERRORISM Volume 12, Issue 1 Articles Reconsidering Radicalization: Fanaticism and the Link Between Ideas and Violence by Bart Schuurman and Max Taylor Abstract A central issue with many interpretations of radicalization remains their tendency to overemphasize the role of extremist beliefs in motivating involvement in terrorism. After elaborating on this critique, the authors propose that ‘fanaticism’, a concept developed by Taylor in the early 1990s, offers a way of overcoming this deficiency in radicalization-based approaches through its conditional understanding of when radical beliefs can lead to violent behavior. Primary-sources driven empirical analysis supports both the critique of radicalization and the discussion of fanaticism’s benefits. Results are relevant to both academics and counterterrorism practitioners working to understand the role of extremist beliefs in motivating involvement in terrorist violence. Keywords: radicalization; fanaticism; beliefs; ideology; religion; terrorism; concepts; political violence; Hofstadgroup; homegrown jihadism Introduction The concept of ‘radicalization’ has come to dominate debates on the processes leading to involvement in terrorism. Simultaneously, radicalization has attracted considerable criticism on definitional, conceptual and empirical grounds. This article argues that a central shortcoming of radicalization-based thinking remains its tendency to implicitly or explicitly see involvement in terrorism as stemming from the adoption of radical beliefs, even though the vast majority of radicals never become involved in terrorism and not all terrorists are primarily motivated by their beliefs. Two points are made. First, the authors illustrate that the overemphasis on the role of beliefs remains prevalent, despite the recent development of several conceptually and theoretically more nuanced interpretations of radicalization. Second, the concept of ‘fanaticism’ as developed by Taylor in the early 1990s is revisited precisely because it provides a conditional understanding of when radical beliefs can lead to violent behavior. Through a conceptual discussion supported by primary-sources driven empirical analysis, the authors contribute to the larger debate on the role that convictions can play in motivating involvement in terrorist groups and terrorist violence. Background For well over a decade, academics, policy makers, journalists and the general public have been debating involvement in terrorism as a process characterized by ‘radicalization’.[1] The concept’s obverse, ‘deradicalization’, has similarly become central to more recent questions about if and how former terrorists can be re-integrated into society.[2] Despite its ubiquitous use, radicalization has also attracted considerable criticism.[3] Skeptics have noted its inherently subjective nature, the lack of agreement on definitional issues and the sometimes linear and deterministic conceptualizations that made radicalization seem like a ‘conveyor belt’ to involvement in terrorism.[4] Recent years have seen the development of notably more nuanced interpretations that have ISSN 2334-3745 3 February 2018 PERSPECTIVES ON TERRORISM Volume 12, Issue 1 considerably advanced insights into how, why and when people may become involved in terrorism. Even so, a central shortcoming of radicalization has continued to exert a detrimental influence; namely, the frequently found assumption that the adoption of radical beliefs precedes and leads to involvement in terrorism.[5] Ideologies, whether religious or political in nature, are undoubtedly important to understanding individuals’ and groups’ decisions about