Researching Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism through a Network Lens

In this paper, we argue that integrating network concepts and network methods to the study of terrorism and counter-terrorism are central ingredients in bringing the field forward from theoretical, empirical, and policy perspectives. This is not exactly a new idea, although the move to study terrorist networks did not really take off until the events of 9/11 (Krebs 2002). A network approach to terrorism research is still not ubiquitous in the field. Valid network data is typically more difficult to access from open sources, making developments slower than desirable. The idea that networks can also be analyzed on the other side of the spectrum, within the agencies tasked with responding to terrorism, is also rarely discussed in terrorism studies.

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