The Influence of Charismatic Authority on Operational Strategies and Attack Outcomes of Terrorist Groups

Abstract

Despite the historical and contemporary prevalence of charismatic terrorist leaders, there has been very little empirical examination of the relationship between charismatic forms of authority and the strategic operation of terrorist groups. In response to this gap in knowledge, this study seeks to investigate if charismatic authority has a real-world impact on strategic choices and attack outcomes of terrorist groups. Using a theoretical framework meant to help measure charisma in terrorist organizations, this study quantitatively examines how differing levels of the presence of charismatic authority contributes to the choice in operational tactics (e.g., weapon and target choices) and the results of attack outcomes (e.g., success rates, lethality) within a sample of thirty international terrorist groups. In the concluding section, relevant findings, policy recommendations, study limitations, and areas for future research are discussed. Acknowledgements This manuscript is an adapted version of a chapter from the author’s Ph.D. dissertation. This research was conducted with financial support from a Public Safety Canada Research Affiliate Grant (2013-2014). This article is available in Journal of Strategic Security: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/jss/vol9/iss2/3