Recruiting, Motivating, and Retaining Youthful Participants in Terrorism: a Preliminary Analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to isolate a potential trend in organized terror recruitment practices; specifically whether youthful populations comprise a significant percentage of participants. Membership patterns may illustrate common factors in individual motivations for terrorist activity, the strategic logic employed by movement leaders, and be a deciding factor in the means used to achieve their goals. Given the centrality of counter-terrorism in the United States’ post-9/11 foreign policy, understanding the perpetrators of political violence is essential for prevention. Through the analysis of primary and secondary sources, news reports, and quantitative data, this work will allow for a deeper understanding of this complex issue.