Title: A systems-level understanding of adversarial behaviour

Authors: Lora G. Weiss; Erica Briscoe; Elizabeth Whitaker; Ethan Trewhitt; Heather Hayes; John Horgan

Addresses: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA ' Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA ' Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA ' Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA ' Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA ' The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA

Abstract: Modelling behaviour related to the perpetration of improvised explosive devices is extremely complex. Behavioural aspects range from those who create a plan to those who gather supplies for developing the devices to those who passively look the other way. Developing computational approaches to understanding such behaviour necessitates either a decomposition of behavioural activity into smaller, manageable behaviours or generalising larger, group behaviour where gross trends are observed. This may suffice for particular applications; however, additional consideration can be given to developing more comprehensive approaches. Specifically, for those seeking to understand terrorism, a number of social, cultural and behavioural perspectives are being developed by experts worldwide. These perspectives may complement each other or they may be in conflict, but they equally contribute to a broader understanding. Our research is developing computational methods to analyse and experiment with differing views and perspectives of potential influences on adversarial behaviour at this system-level.

Keywords: recruitment; adversarial behaviour; violent extremists; multi-scale modelling; multiple perspectives; improvised explosive devices; IEDs; behavioural modelling; terrorism; social aspects; cultural aspects; culture.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIDSS.2012.053676

International Journal of Intelligent Defence Support Systems, 2012 Vol.5 No.1, pp.4 - 23

Published online: 02 Sep 2014 *