Course Syllabus

This course has two central components. The first being the analysis of al-Qaida’s and the Islamic State’s ideologies and modus operandi; and the second, a hands-on approach designed to develop students understanding of how intelligence analysis works today.

On one hand, students will be reading primary sources from al-Qaeda and the Islamic State and analyze what kind of organizations they have evolved into today. What is the history of militant Sunni extremism? When and why did al-Qaeda’s leadership begin to target the West? How do al-Qaida and the Islamic state spread their ideology and how do they recruit foreign fighters in the West? What is the difference between al-Qaeda and the Islamic state? Moreover, why has Europe, and especially Denmark, come to the attention of both al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in recent years?

On the other hand, this course will also offer a broad introduction to the methodology of intelligence analysis. Through workshops, we will apply basic intelligence analysis to both fictitious and legitimate al- Qaida source material.

By the end of the semester, all students will:

• Understand the ideology and modus operandi of al-Qaida and ISIL

• Understand different theories of how militant Sunni Extremists mobilize, communicate and recruit

• Know different approaches to analyzing sources and working with intelligence

Søren Hove, Ph.D.

Søren Hove (Ph.D in Middle East Studies, 2009) is working as a Chief Consultant at the Danish Defense and has been research fellow at the Centre for Contemporary Middle East Studies (University of Southern Denmark) and the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS, Copenhagen). Søren has expertise in the terrorism and Islamist militancy in the Middle East. With DIS since 2011.

Nis L. Mathiesen, MA

Cand.Mag. (MA) in Rhetoric (University of Copenhagen, 2006), MA in Intelligence and International Security (King's College London, 2005). Nis has been working as a Chief Analyst with the private intelligence company Risk Intelligence, specializing in maritime security. With DIS since 2007.

Please note there is a course compendium (which you will return at the end of the semester) to be picked up during the Arrivals Workshop.

Azzam, Abdallah: The Defense of Muslim Territories Constitutes the First Individual Duty

AQAP; Al-Malahim, Sada: Fighting the Heads of Infidelity

AQAP: Inspire Magazine Issue 1, Summer, 2010

Laden, Osama bin: Saudia Arabia supports the Communists in Yemen

Laden, Osama bin: Osama bin Laden's Declaration of War

Laden, Osama bin: Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders

Laden, Osama bin: May our Mothers Be Bereaved Of Us If We Fail to Help Our
Prophet

Burke, Jason: After Bin Laden: what next for al-Qaida and global jihad?

Byman, Daniel: Terrorism After the Revolutions

Clark, Robert M.: A Synthesis/Analysis Approach to the Target

Davis, Jack: The Kent-Kendall Debate of 1949

Gerges, Fawaz A.: Prologue

Gerges, Fawaz A.: Fawaz A. Gerges on How the Arab Spring Beat Al Qaeda

Hegghammer, Thomas: Introduction. Abdallah Azzam, The Imam of Jihad

Hegghammer, Thomas: The Rise of Muslim Foreign Fighters: Islam and the
Globalization of Jihad

Herman, Michael: Antecedents

Heuer, Richards J.: Analysis of Competing Hypotheses

Hoffmann, Bruce: The Leaderless Jihad's Leader

Jones, Seth G.: Think Again: Al Qaeda

Hundevadt, Kim: The Cartoon Crisis - how it unfolded

Kepel, Gilles: Striking at the Faraway Enemy

Major, James S.: Reading Intelligence Publications

Mandaville, Peter: Radical Islamism and jihad beyond the nation-state

The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (The
9/11 Commission): Assembling the Teams

Shebaab al-Mujahideen Media Wing: Video Statement from Commander
Shakyh Saleh Nabhan

Shabaab: Shabaab Video Focuses on Recruitment of Foreign Fighters

Sageman, Marc; Hoffmann, Bruce: Does Osama Still Call the Shots?

Tawil, Camille: How Bin Ladin's Death Will Affect Al-Qa`ida's Regional
Franchises

USAF: Attachment 3. SOURCES OF INTELLIGENCE

It is expected that all students actively participate in class: do the reading for each class; share thoughts and ask questions for the instructor and other students; actively and responsibly participate in their project groups.

Please notice that several classes will be held on Friday afternoons - that's tough!

Students will be evaluated as follows: