The age of hyperconflict and the globalization-terrorism nexus : a comparative study of Al Shabaab in Somalia and Boko Haram in Nigeria

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Globalization has radically changed the world we live in; it has enabled the easy movementof people, goods and money across borders, and has facilitated improved communication. Ina sense it has made our lives easier, however the same facets that have improved the lives ofcitizens across the globe now threatens them. Terrorist organizations now make use of thesesame facets of globalization in order to facilitate terrorist activity. This thesis set out toexamine the extent to which globalization has contributed to the creation of a permissiveenvironment in which terrorism has flourished in Somalia and northern Nigeria respectively,and how it has done so. In order to determine this Mittelman's theory of hyperconflict andZimmermann's heuristic causal model of linkages between globalization and internationalterrorism were applied to the case studies of Al Shabaab in Somalia and Boko Haram inNigeria. The main finding of this thesis is that globalization has contributed to the creation ofa permissive environment in which terrorism has flourished in Somalia and northern Nigeria,albeit to different extents. In Somalia, globalization has facilitated the terrorist activities of AlShabaab by means of technology (especially information communications technology (ICT)),migration channels, and channels of business and commerce. Additionally, the threat ofcorrupt culture, as spread by globalization, has served as an incentive when selecting targets.Moreover, it was found that globalization played a part in radicalizing Al Shabaab as well as ordinary Somalis. Similarly, globalization has facilitated terrorism perpetrated by BokoHaram in northern Nigeria; it has done so by means of technology, migration channels to alesser extent, and politico-criminal network as well as support by external states and groups.The threat of a corrupt foreign culture has played a particular role in driving Boko Haram'scampaign of terror. Additionally, it was found that globalization played some part, albeit asmall part, in Boko Haram's rise to prominence. This thesis proved that in certain states andunder specific conditions globalization has led to the creation of a permissive environment inwhich national/international terrorism can flourish.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University