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Sean Everton on Religion & Dark Networks (Encore Presentation)

tonygill — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 16:06:37 +0000

While the cast and crew of RoR takes a short spring break, we present you with one of our favorite episodes from deep in our archives. Remember, we have over 225 episodes shelved in our library, so please feel free to search or browse to find a topic that might be of interest to you. We will return next week with some new tasty morsels.

Dark networks are clandestine organizations that often, but not always, engage in nefarious behavior. Over the past several decades, scholars and minitary strategists have become increasingly interested in how these dark networks operate and how they can be disrupted. Prof. Sean Everton, assistant professor in the Department of Defense Analysis at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), discusses how he has used network theory to understand such clandestine organizations. We begin by chatting about how a graduate student in sociology with no military background ended up at the NPS and also what the NPS is all about, including who the students are and what they are taught. We then go on to define “dark networks,” noting that although they are mostly associated with nefarious activities such as drug smuggling or terrorism, sometimes such underground organizations can have beneficial purposes. As for the latter, Prof. Everton points to the efforts of Catholic nuns to shelter Jewish children in Germany during the Holocaust. We then discuss how and why religious groups often enhance the effectiveness of dark networks, noting the work of Larry Iannaccone and Eli Berman on this subject. We then turn to Prof. Everton’s research with Nancy Roberts on how such networks can be disrupted, focusing on two general strategies: kinetic and non-kinetic. The former (kinetic) strategy includes the direct targeting and (often violent) removal of key individuals from networks with the intent of disrupting its operation. We also talk about how militaries around the world are trained to identify and break apart dark networks, a process known as “capacity bulding.” The non-kinetic approach to network disruption includes various tactics such as psychological operations, misinformation campaigns, institution building, and the rehabilitation of members within these dark networks. Our conversation finishes with a few observations on one of Sean’s other passions, baseball. Recorded: December 13, 2011.

Common Operational Research Environment (CORE) Lab on Facebook.

God, Politics, and Baseball – Sean Everton’s personal blog.

RELATED PODCASTS

Sean Everton on the Jesus Seminar.

Eli Berman on Religious Terrorism.

Larry Iannaccone on Sacrifice & Stigma, and the Economics of Religion.

Monica Toft on Religion, Violence, and Civil War.

Ron Hassner on Sacred Space and Conflict.

Ann Wainscott on the Politics of Islam in Morocco.

Byron Johnson on More God, Less Crime.

William Inboden on Religious Liberty, Foreign Policy, & the Arab Spring

tonygill — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 09:00:23 +0000

With political events rapidly unfolding in Egypt, Syria, and other parts of the Middle East, we visit with Prof. William Inboden, distinguished scholar at the Strauss Center for International Security at the University of Texas and an associate scholar with Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. Prof. Inboden not only brings his extensive scholarship to bear on the issue of religious freedom and the Arab Spring, but his many years serving as a policy advisor in the US State Department and National Security Council provides him with another unique perspective on how the issue of religious liberty can and should shape US foreign policy. We begin with a discussion of what the Arab Spring is, how it started, and where it might be headed. Prof. Inboden notes that scholars are starting to rename the Arab “Spring,” the Arab “Awakening” as there is some growing concern that what appeared to initially be popular uprisings in support of liberal democratic forms of government may now be moving in a more autocratic direction. We discuss why this might be. Our attention then turns to the topic of religious liberty, which Will considers to be an important bellwether for liberal democracy in general. Prof. Inboden explains how religious freedom can help neutralize extremism and notes that religious liberty is not just important for religious minorities such as the Christian Copts, but is a vital civil liberty for Muslims as well. Far from being a monolithic religious bloc, Islam actually has many different “flavors” and Muslims who hold more moderate views on a number of topics would also benefit immensely from greater religious freedom and toleration in their societies. We also discuss the state of non-Muslim religious minorities now in such countries as Egypt, Tunisia, and Syria. Much of this discussion is informed by Will’s participation in a Berkley Center symposium “Religious Freedom and Religious Extremism: Lessons from the Arab Spring” (see link below), involving past and current policymakers such as Elliott Abrams, Stephen Hadley, and Dennis Ross. Our conversation shifts towards foreign policy and Will makes an argument that the promotion of religious freedom needs to be a key component of US relations with the Middle East. Using examples from Afghanistan, he points out how religious freedom is necessarily an issue of national security and not just some lofty goal that is desired unto itself. Tony pushes back with counter-arguments that promoting religious liberty can be seen as cultural imperialism, to which Will notes that while national leaders in autocratic regimes often make this argument, average citizens around the world have been shown to embrace the rights of conscience and worship when it is offered to them. Recorded: November 28, 2012.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. William Inboden’s biography at the Strauss Center for International Security at the University of Texas.

Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University.

“Religious Freedom and Religious Extremism: Lessons from the Arab Spring,” proceedings from the Berkley Center’s symposium mentioned in the interview.

“Religious Freedom and National Security: Why the US Should Make the Connection,” by William Inboden in Policy Review.

Religion and American Foreign Policy, 1945-60: The Soul of Containment, by William Inboden.

RELATED PODCASTS

Thomas Farr on Religion, Religious Liberty, and US Diplomacy.

Timothy Shah on the Case for Religious Liberty.

Daniel Philpott on Religious Resurgence and Democratization.

Monica Toft on Religion, Terrorism, and Civil War.

Jonathan Fox on Religion & State around the World.

Nathan Brown on the Muslim Brotherhood.

Allen Hertzke on Religious Liberty.

Sean Everton on Dark Networks.

Eli Berman on Religious Terrorism.

Sean Everton on Dark Networks

tonygill — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 17:00:48 +0000

Common Operational Research Environment (CORE) Lab on Facebook.

God, Politics, and Baseball – Sean Everton’s personal blog.

RELATED PODCASTS

Eli Berman on Religious Terrorism.

Monica Toft on Religion, Violence, and Civil War.

Ron Hassner on Sacred Space and Conflict.

Byron Johnson on More God, Less Crime.

Eli Berman on Religious Terrorism

tonygill — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 08:00:09 +0000

Prof. Eli Berman, professor of economics at UC-San Diego and Research Director of International Security Studies at the University of California’s Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, discusses his new book Radical, Religious, and Violent: The New Economics of Terrorism (MIT Press). Contrary to popular notions that suicide bombers are pyschologically-distressed or economically-disadvantagted individuals, Prof. Berman discusses how radical religious groups are rational in their selection of tactics. Using Laurence Iannaccone’s theory of strict religious clubs, Berman argues that radical religious groups excel at providing social services to their members, while simultaneously filtering out “free riders.” Here we discuss the case of ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel as well as the Amish. We then discuss how successful insurgency operations require that groups limit membership defection, since a defector could easily compromise the secrecy of an entire organization. Adherence to strict religious requirements (e.g., intensive religious training, dietary restrictions, distinct clothing) provides behavioral signals about the loyalty of an individual to a group, making radical religious sects an ideal recruiting ground for rebels. We do not discuss the particular grievances of various terrorist organizations; rather the discussion focuses on the organizational aspects of terrorism and insurgency. Recorded: August 3, 2010.

RELATED LINKS

Eli Berman’s website at UCSD (includes various working papers).

Radical, Religious, and Violent: The New Economics of Terrorism by Eli Berman (Amazon.com)

Radical, Religious, and Violent website (with reviews and teaching material).

Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation.