Resilience to stress in bipartite networks: application to the Islamic State recruitment network

Abstract Networks are resilient to internal failures or external attacks. The resiliency is often beneficial, but there scenarios where the collapse of a network would benefit society, such as dismantlement terrorist, rebel organized crime groups. In this article, we develop method estimate effect knockouts and apply our Islamic State recruitment network. Using novel application, demonstrate how coordinated attacks against recruiters might reduce State’s ability mobilize new fighters. This analysis has direct implications for research on resilience terrorist recruitment.