Francesco Bruno is a PhD candidate in the Defence Studies Department at King’s College London. His research focuses on the organisational and management practices of Al-Qaeda to maintain efficiency across its broad network.

He is an alumnus of the University of Manchester where he was awarded a Master of Arts (MA) in Peace and Conflict Studies in 2017. In the same period, he conducted fieldwork research in conflict-affected societies such as Rwanda and Bosnia & Herzegovina exploring the current state of the state-building processes in these countries.

He was awarded a first-class Bachelor Degree of Economic and Social Science (BscEcon) in International Politics from Aberystwyth University in Wales.

 

Research Interests

• Terrorism
• Counterterrorism
• Social Networks
• Religious Terrorist Organizations
• Organizational and Management Theories

 

Publications

• Bruno, Francesco (2017)Understanding the Impact of the Counter-Terror Agenda on Humanitarian Action, Otoritas : Jurnal Ilmu Pemerintahan - ISSN (Print): 2088-3706, ISSN (Online): 2502-9320.
• Bruno, Francesco (2018) Drawing upon a Comparative Case Study of Iraq and Afghanistan Critically Assess the Success and Failures in the Negotiation Process to Get Personnel and/or Humanitarian Aid to Populations in Need, Journal of Administration and Public Governance, Vol 8, No 2.
  
  
• BRUNO, Francesco (2018) What Was the Impact of Zionism on Displaced Jewish Refugees in Germany in the Aftermath of the Second World War? Journal of Public Administration and Governance, [S.l.], v. 8, n. 4, p. Page 127-136. ISSN 2161-7104. 

 

Thesis

Investigation concerning Al-Qaeda’s core structure and ability to maintain effectiveness and efficiency within a polycentric network

My research focuses on understanding how Al-Qaeda is able to maintain efficiency across a polycentric network. Specifically, the research focuses on the organizational choices between Al-Qaeda’s core and its network of over 30 different organizations across multiple countries. Since its initial strategy of expansion, Al-Qaeda can now count among its ranks between 30,000 and 40,000 soldiers across a number of branches in the Middle, South Asia and Africa. The research focuses on two points. First, it aims to uncover the localized strategies adopted by Al-Qaeda to enable the creation of such networks while keeping in mind their national and international strategies. Second, it aims to understand the relation between Al-Qaeda and the local population in terms of coexistence and support.

Supervisors

• Primary Supervisor: Dr. Christian Tripodi
• Secondary Supervisor: Dr. Michele Groppi