Recruitment of Armed Organizations
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Presentation Type
Submission
Keywords
Recruitment, Armed Organizations, U.S. Military, Terrorism, Institutional Legitimacy, Political Violence, Mobilization
Department
International Studies and Languages
Major
International Studies: Global Politics and Italian Studies
Abstract
Armed organizations, regardless of their legal standing or geopolitical objectives, confront the same issue; successful recruitment and retention. This research examines the recruitment strategies of armed organizations by analyzing two polar extremes of the institutional spectrum; the United States Military, representing the baseline of the legitimate state actor, and various terrorist organizations, representing illegitimate non-state actors. Utilizing a comparative case study methodology, this project investigates how these disparate organizations navigate the "extreme scale" of armed mobilization. The hypotheses analyzed are as follows H1: People who have minimal economic opportunities may be more likely to be recruited into an armed organization, H2: People suffering from instances of social isolation (familial or peer) may be more likely to be recruited into an armed organization, and H3: People disillusioned or who have distrust in the status quo or government may be more likely to be recruited into an armed organization. The research suggests that beneath the ideological differences, armed organizations recruit a similar type of personality although institutional goals, and legitimacy vary.
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Amanda Rizkallah
Location
Black Family Plaza Classroom 189
Start Date
10-4-2026 4:00 PM
End Date
10-4-2026 4:15 PM
Recruitment of Armed Organizations
Black Family Plaza Classroom 189
Armed organizations, regardless of their legal standing or geopolitical objectives, confront the same issue; successful recruitment and retention. This research examines the recruitment strategies of armed organizations by analyzing two polar extremes of the institutional spectrum; the United States Military, representing the baseline of the legitimate state actor, and various terrorist organizations, representing illegitimate non-state actors. Utilizing a comparative case study methodology, this project investigates how these disparate organizations navigate the "extreme scale" of armed mobilization. The hypotheses analyzed are as follows H1: People who have minimal economic opportunities may be more likely to be recruited into an armed organization, H2: People suffering from instances of social isolation (familial or peer) may be more likely to be recruited into an armed organization, and H3: People disillusioned or who have distrust in the status quo or government may be more likely to be recruited into an armed organization. The research suggests that beneath the ideological differences, armed organizations recruit a similar type of personality although institutional goals, and legitimacy vary.