“He would have kept my house for himself if it wasn’t for the Taliban. They were quick and fair.” Thus did a resident of Kandahar, Afghanistan, recently describe Taliban justice to the New York Times. Such words sound jarring to Western ears. Taliban courts may be called quick and brutal…
TERRORISM is increasing. According to the Global Terrorism Database at the University of Maryland, groups connected with Al Qaeda and the Islamic State committed close to 200 attacks per year between 2007 and 2010, a number that grew by more than 200 percent, to about 600 attacks, in 2013. Since…
The Balkan Peninsula has long been delegated to the periphery of Western security concerns. This demotion appears fitting in the wake of deadly jihadist attacks across the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia; the brutal progression of ISIS; and the enduring crisis in Ukraine. But while the epicenter of international…
In Austria, an extremist hotline has been set up for parents concerned that their children may have turned toward radical Islamist ideologies, or worse, to militant religious fanaticism.
The Islamic State is no mere collection of psychopaths. It is a religious group with carefully considered beliefs, among them that it is a key agent of the coming apocalypse. Here’s what that means for its strategy—and for how to stop it….
As the world faces new challenges with the growing threat of violent extremism, schools and educators are confronted with expressions and sentiments on a scale they never anticipated, ranging from personal identity conflicts to complex societal issues. The Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris, the two attacks in Denmark and the…
One of the largest randomized control trials ever conducted in preschool settings, this evaluation examined the work of Early Years to increase awareness and positive attitudes and behaviors among Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland. This somewhat controversial and usually costly approach showed significant impact and results and appealed to…
In his rallying cry for action to counter violent extremism (CVE) at the World Economic Forum in Davos a few weeks ago, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry concluded, “The bottom line is we need everyone involved—governments, foundations, philanthropists, NGOs, corporations, faith leaders, the private sector.” Of these groups, it…
In this podcast we discuss the role of women and girls as perpetrators of violent extremism and increasingly as fully-autonomous radicalized terrorists. We explore how the online world is exploited by terrorist groups for propaganda and recruitment purposes. Hear from: Eileen O’Connor, U.S. Deputy Assistant State Secretary for South and…
In March 2014, the White House National Security Council (NSC) requested assistance from three regions with piloting the development of a comprehensive framework that promotes multidisciplinary solutions to countering violent extremism. The Greater Boston region was selected because of its existing collaborative efforts and nationally recognized success with developing robust…
When many of the world’s ministers gather this week for the White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism, migration will be high on the agenda – but for all the wrong reasons. The phenomenon of foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria – small in number but significant in political impact…
This report looks at the scale of the problem, its regional nature, the threat to Australia and the nature of the response so far. It concludes with an integrated, regional proposal to undermine the appeal of ISIS to would be-militants, and those who are already radicalized using the same tools…
