The use of Web sites by terrorist groups has been evident since the mid 1990s. Security experts and researchers have identified terror-related Internet activity as a growing area of concern, especially following the attacks of September 11, 2001. Terrorist groups using the Internet pose two distinct threats. The first is cyberterrorism: terrorists using the Internet destructively and directly to bring about harm to persons or property, including, attacks on Web sites. The second is the use of the Internet as a communication medium to further the cause of terrorism or a particular organization. As of 2008, Weimann (2008b) estimated that over 6,000 terrorist Web sites exist, but the definition of a terrorist Web site is not always clear. This study analyzed the content of 30 "extremist" sites and defined those as sites that endorse hatred and violence towards the United States and its allies by sharing their hatred and actively promoting their ideologies online. This research examined the source of the message, the message content, the types of receivers intended, the channels used to communicate the message, the purpose of the message, and the effects of the message. Results indicate that a major purpose of the organizations is to justify their actions to skeptics. The organizations have built a virtual extremist community with each other and outside members where their sum is greater than their total. The actual impact of these sites is difficult to measure. However, while Web 2.0 features are employed on these sites, this study argues that censorship and forum rules restrict members from engaging in a real dialogue thus limiting the potential of recruiting moderates.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Virginia Commonwealth University, 2009. / Prepared for: L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs. Title from title-page of electronic thesis. Bibliography: leaves 217-225.

"December 2003" / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 349-387) / 387 leaves : maps ; 30 cm / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, School of History and Politics, Discipline of Politics, 2005

Vrije Univ., Diss.--Amsterdam, 2006.

In the span of two decades, Hizballah has evolved from an armed resistance movement against Israeli occupation into an efficient political party and---by extension---into a permanent fixture on Lebanon's mainstream political stage. The present analysis traces the evolution of the party from its inception and assesses its performance vis-a-vis the major players of Iran, Israel and Syria. Factors including the characteristics of the movement and the Shiite community itself, the shifting position, interests and policies of various regional actors, and the changing domestic conditions in Lebanon were isolated in order to adequately explain the behaviour and development of Hizballah. As a result, such alternatives to cultural factors (i.e the "Islamic variable") were found to be stronger explanatory factors rather than the Islamic factor. Ultimately, the essay illustrates that Islamic considerations are secondary, if not tertiary, when political decisions are to be made in different contexts. Rather, it is the interests of the more powerful actors that govern the organization's next move, in addition to the aforementioned variables. On the basis of such assumptions and findings, conclusions were finally drawn regarding Hizballah's future developments and its prospects following an Israeli withdrawal.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Texas, Aug., 2007. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, School of History and Politics, Discipline of Politics, 2005. / "December 2003" Includes bibliographical references (leaves 349-387).

Diss. Univ. Amsterdam, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

This study attempts to explore the strains that terror organization members experience prior to the training process in the organization. The primary goal of this research is to understand the relationship between the earlier experienced strains of terrorists and their violent behaviors. In the study a Turkish Hezbollah terror organization sample (N = 144) was utilized in the frame of Agnew's (1992) general strain theory. Initially, quantitative methods, such as bivariate analysis and multivariate analysis, were utilized to identify the cumulative effect of strains on the violent behaviors of terrorists. Later, by utilizing case studies with a qualitative approach the mediating effect of negative emotions (anger, frustration, depression and fear) were identified. This study found that among Turkish Hezbollah members, prior to joining the terrorist organization, individuals who experience higher levels of strain are more likely to perform violent acts when compared to individuals who experience lower levels of strain. This study affirmed earlier studies on strain-crime relationship. Moreover, utilized case studies support that negative emotions -specifically anger- mediate between strains and violent actions. In sum, this research retests and builds on Agnew's theory and argues that general strain theory can help terrorism studies to understand the sources of strains of terrorists and the effect of strains on their violent behavior.

Diploma thesis: Second Lebanon war versus the Gaza war-comparison of Israeli approach is focused on the last two wars Israel waged. In 2006, Israel waged a war against Hezbollah and in 2008/2009 against Hamas. This thesis is primarily focused on the Israeli side and is supposed to find out the main reason to its failure in Lebanon and its success in the Gaza strip. Out of three examined reasons: Israeli political and military decision-making, readiness of the Israeli army and preparations of both Hamas and Hezbollah for potential conflict. Effect based theory is used as a theoretical background in this thesis and helps to understand reasons to the Israeli failure in Lebanon