The issue of homegrown terrorism and the recruitment and radicalization of local nationals to fight for other’s causes is major topic throughout the world. Supposed foreign fighters have fought for the current al Qaeda throughout the world. This is well documented on their information web sites and used as propaganda tools for financing, recruitment, and establishment of their credibility. Many of these recruits return to their homeland and perpetuate attacks against the establishment there.

Cilluffo, Cozzens, and Ranstorp (2010) outline potential problems areas associated with the trend of western nationals going into troubled areas and becoming radicalized. Read this paper and using it with the many sources contained within, answer the following questions:

1. What tools and techniques do terrorist recruiters use to attract, interact with, and evaluate recruits?
2. Based on your research, how vulnerable does the U.S and Western Europe remain today to this type of recruitment and utilization? Explain your position.
3. How do terrorists use value analysis and vulnerability assessment in selecting their targets for an attack (for example, why would a terrorist choose to detonate a bomb at a crowded night club)?
4. Explain the Boyd loop and discuss its utility to counterterrorism officials seeking to interdict terrorists before they act to conduct a terrorist attack.