The Atomization of Political Violence

Brian Michael Jenkins

ResearchPosted on rand.org Feb 25, 2022Published in: EICTP Vienna Research Papers on Transnational Terrorism and Counter-terrorism: Trends and Scenarios of Transnational Terrorism. Volume III: Forecast, Anticipation and Prediction of Defining Trends Against the Backdrop of Uncertainty, pages 83–93 (December 2021)

We are witnessing what could be called the atomization of political violence, in which individuals—not groups—motivated partly by ideology, partly by personal grievances, untethered or only loosely affiliated with an organization, are increasingly carrying out violent attacks on their own initiative, without central direction.

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Document Details

  • Availability: Non-RAND
  • Year: 2021
  • Pages: 11
  • Document Number: EP-68867

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