A common misconception of terrorist networks is that they are solely violent in nature. Many terrorist networks have developed complex and sophisticated systems that provide important social services to their supporters.
These terrorist social networks thrive in the vacuum created by a failed state. A good example of this is Hamas (who may be serving as a model for al-Sadr in Iraq). Since its founding in 1987, Hamas has proven to be a well run counterweight to Yassar Arafat's corrupt Palestinian National Authority (which, in many ways is the Palestinian state). Hamas runs the following services (a more detailed outline of the Hamas structure is available here):
1) An extensive education network
2) Distribution of food to the poor
3) Youth camps and sports
4) Ederly care
5) Funding of scholarships and business development
6) Religious services
7) Public safety
8) Health care
This network of social services provides Hamas with multiple benefits. These include:
1) Popular support that shelters the organization.
2) A plentiful supply of recruits for its terrorist mission.
3) Sources of external funding through charity organizations that support their social mission (much of which can be redirected to the terrorist mission) and funding through a small number of profitable businesses.
The rise of terrorist social services indicates that the loose networks that power terrorist military organizations can also replicate the social responsibilities of nation-states. As a challenger to the nation-state system, this capability speaks volumes.
This leads me to think that there is a generalized ("business") model that can be derived for fully developed terrorist organizations operating in failed states. However, any model developed must accomodate the decentralized decision making process used to make Hamas survivable. I will work on this and post.