Terrorism and Homeland Security - Essay Example

Osama encouraged the jihadist in Afghanistan to continue the raging war towards the United States and weakened it. The strategy was to encourage the people to rise against rulers he considered oppressive, as the USA would be weak and unable to support the rulers in the case of a revolt. Osama bin Laden considered the Arab Spring as a formidable event due to the magnitude and momentum the event had gained and ousting of several rulers in Northern Africa.

Osama bin Laden had no firm grip control over most regional Jihadist groups at the time of his death. He even wrote to the group’s pleading with them to change their tack ticks and avoid the senseless killing of Muslim brothers. The jihadist groups only swore allegiance to al-Qa`ida but were independent in the decisions made and the chain of command.  Al-Qa`ida only provided training fields in Afghanistan but once the Jihadists left the camp they were at liberty with decision-making and to act in any manner they like.

Donald Taylor and Michael King in their study describe the radicalization process using five radicalization models but focus on three common traits in all the models. The three are important to their study as they relate directly to the main reason there are homegrown jihadists. These traits are the state of being in deprivation, personal characteristics that relate more to Jihadist ideology and personal struggle to find an identity.

King and Taylor warn against using strategies and models that have not been validated can be counterproductive because of the individuals feeling victimized. The two warn that most of these models were developed after 9/11 and are based ON social-psychological processes alone. 

The position adopted by many Jihadists is amendable since it mainly focuses n social issues and propaganda that can be counteracted. The narrative is also subject to empirical research to understand the main reason people join Jihadist movements. There is more to it than what meets the eye, a good reason to conduct empirical research on the process.

King and Taylor's research concludes that the study of homegrown terrorists revolves around three traits that are common in all the five models studied. The state of being in deprivation, personal characteristics that relate more to Jihadist's ideology and personal struggle to find an identity. In conclusion, King and Taylor recommend future research on homegrown Jihadists to focus on personality characteristic traits, identity management and reaction to group deprivation.