Do Drone Strikes Degrade Al Qaeda? Evidence From Propaganda Output

Dados Bibliográficos

ID4086935
AutoresMegan L Smith (0000-0002-4545-7480, University of North Carolina at Charlotte), Megan Smith (0000-0003-1207-6048), James I Walsh (0000-0002-5833-1705, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, autor correspondente)
Ano2013
Volume25
Fascículo2
Páginas311-327
Data de publicação2013-04-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoTerrorism and Political Violence (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0954-6553 • E-ISSN: 1556-1836
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09546553.2012.664011
OpenAlexW2049551017
IdiomaPT
Citações recebidas24

The United States has used unmanned, aerial vehicles—drones—to launch attacks on militants associated with Al Qaeda and other violent groups based in Pakistan. The goal is to degrade the target's capacity to undertake political and violent action. We assess the effectiveness of drone strikes in achieving this goal, measuring degradation as the capacity of Al Qaeda to generate and disseminate propaganda. Propaganda is a key output of many terrorist organizations and a long-standing priority for Al Qaeda. Unlike other potential measures of terrorist group activity and capacity, propaganda output can be observed and measured. If drone strikes have degraded Al Qaeda, their occurrence should be correlated with a reduction in the organization's propaganda output. The analysis presented here finds little evidence that this is the case. Drone strikes have not impaired Al Qaeda's ability to generate propaganda

Al qaeda · Criminology · Drone · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Terrorism · Defense, Military, and Policy Studies · Law · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence