Organization of a Terrorist Movement

Daniel M. Gerstein, of the RAND Corporation and formerly of the Department of Homeland Security, says that " . . . strategies to deal with terrorism should be created based on an understanding of the nature of the terrorist threat and the structure of terrorist organizations." Gerstein says that there are four distinct elements of a terrorist organization organized in concentric circles - the leaders in the very center, the operational elements, operational supporters, and in the fourth and outside ring are the sympathizers. He further posits that each of the four elements much be addressed differently by security and police forces - ranging from 'capture kill' to 'outreach and education'. Read more in "Solving the Geometrical Problem of Terrorism", U.S. News & World Report, January 12, 2016.

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