Universal patterns underlying ongoing wars and terrorism
Abstract
We report a remarkable universality in the patterns of violence arising in three high-profile ongoing wars, and in global terrorism. Our results suggest that these quite different conflict arenas currently feature a common type of enemy, i.e. the various insurgent forces are beginning to operate in a similar way regardless of their underlying ideologies, motivations and the terrain in which they operate. We provide a microscopic theory to explain our main observations. This theory treats the insurgent force as a generic, self-organizing system which is dynamically evolving through the continual coalescence and fragmentation of its constituent groups.
Cite
@article{arxiv.physics/0605035,
title = {Universal patterns underlying ongoing wars and terrorism},
author = {Neil F. Johnson and Mike Spagat and Jorge A. Restrepo and Oscar Becerra and Juan Camilo Bohorquez and Nicolas Suarez and Elvira Maria Restrepo and Roberto Zarama},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:physics/0605035},
year = {2007}
}
Comments
This paper presents (1) new results for Afghanistan, (2) additional results for Iraq and Colombia, and (3) detailed statistical tests which confirm the findings of preprint physics/0506213