NPR, 18 Nov 09: Investigators are still trying to determine whether Maj. Nidal Hasan’s alleged deadly rampage at Fort Hood was a calculated act of radical Islamist ideology or the deranged act of an alienated loner.

But even as military and law enforcement officials continue their probe, the incident has sparked a renewed focus on how Islamic extremists and al-Qaida sympathizers become radicalized in the first place.

The U.S. government has focused significant intelligence resources on the question of radicalization in recent years, but they admit the dynamics are still not well understood.

“We haven’t completely figured out why some people are susceptible to that and some aren’t,” says a senior U.S. intelligence official. “There are people who argue it’s cultural or economic or political or psychological, but it depends.” . . . . .

CI Centre Course 361: The Global Jihadist Threat Doctrine