Discovering bin-Laden’s Replacement in al-Qaeda, using Social Network Analysis: A Methodological Investigation

• Main Authors: Edith Wu, Rebecca Carleton, Garth Davies
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Massachusetts Lowell 2014-02-01
• Series: Perspectives on Terrorism
• Subjects: Keywords: social network; Al-Qaeda; leadership; methodology
• Online Access: http://www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/index.php/pot/article/view/325

<p><em>The removal of Osama bin-Laden created a leadership void within al-Qaeda. Despite the group&rsquo;s autonomous cell structure, an authorative figure remains essential for promoting and disseminating al-Qaeda&rsquo;s ideology. An appropriate replacement should exhibit traits comparable to bin-Laden and have similar positioning within the structure of the group. Using a media-based sample and social network analysis, this study attempts to uncover the most probable successor for bin-Laden by examining the dynamics within al-Qaeda. The results indicate how the differential embeddedness of al-Qaeda members affects social capital, which in turn provides insights for leadership potiential.</em></p><div><em><br /></em></div>