Studies in Conflict and Terrorism · 2010 · 255 citations · 0 references
Wolf TerrorismWar CrimeLone Wolf TerroristsCrime Against HumanityConflict StudySociologyPolitical ViolenceLone Wolf TerrorismPolitical ConflictPolitical ScienceSocial Sciences
Lone wolf terrorism is an ambiguous, fuzzy phenomenon that often draws on extremist communities for ideological validation. The article seeks to define and analyze the main features and patterns of lone wolf terrorism across fifteen countries. The study analyzes lone wolf terrorism by defining its main features and patterns across fifteen countries. The analysis shows that lone wolf terrorism is more prevalent and has risen markedly over the past three decades in the United States, yet casualties remain limited, lethality has not increased, and perpetrators exhibit high psychological disturbance, social ineptitude, and ideologies blending personal grievances with broader political or religious aims.
Lone wolf terrorism remains an ambiguous and enigmatic phenomenon. The boundaries of lone wolf terrorism are fuzzy and arbitrary. This article aims to define and analyze the main features and patterns of lone wolf terrorism in fifteen countries. Lone wolf terrorism is shown to be more prevalent in the United States than in the other countries under study. The cross-national analysis suggests that in the United States lone wolf terrorism has increased markedly during the past three decades; a similar increase does not appear to have occurred in the other countries under study. The numbers of casualties resulting from lone wolf terrorism have been relatively limited, and there is no evidence that the lethality of lone wolf terrorism is on the increase. The rates of psychological disturbance and social ineptitude are found to be relatively high among lone wolf terrorists. Lone wolf terrorists tend to create their own ideologies that combine personal frustrations and aversion with broader political, social, or religious aims. In this process, many lone wolf terrorists draw on the communities of belief and ideologies of validation generated and transmitted by extremist movements.