| ID | 161739 |
| Title Proper | Trends in Terrorists’ Weapons Adoption and the Study Thereof |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Tishler, Nicole A |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | In pursuit of universal models and readily observable indicators, existing accounts of terrorists’ weapons adoption have privileged environmental and group-based characteristics at the expense of appreciating the fundamental, albeit sometimes idiosyncratic, role played by individuals in the weapons innovation process. This article develops in three stages an individual-centric approach to examining terrorist groups’ weapons adoption in empirical and theoretical models: first, a critical review of existing terrorist weapons adoption and innovation literature, organized into three levels of analysis—the situational, the organizational, and the individual; second, a theoretical argument—drawing on organizational learning and knowledge transfer theory—that posits individual expertise as a crucial underlying factor in terrorists’ weapons adoption; and third, a stylized case study of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)’s weapons use trends as a demonstration of the argument’s practical utility in today’s security environment. The article concludes with insights for continued scholarly inquiry into terrorist groups’ weapons adoption. |
| `In' analytical Note | International Studies Review Vol. 20, No.3; Sep 2018: p.368–394 |
| Journal Source | International Studies Review Vol: 20 No 3 |
| Key Words | Terrorists ; Weapons Adoption |