This report stems from a research project on online terrorist magazines. The overarching objective of the project is to identify central narratives and themes, and to examine the communicative (language and images) devices used to advance these. The study examined magazines that were published between 1 January 2009 and 30…
Promoting stability is one of the primary objectives of nearly all major development actors operating in Afghanistan. Many stabilization policies and programs are based on the assumption that the root cause of political violence, terrorism, and insurgencies lie in poverty and resource deprivation. In response, millions of dollars have been…
Starting January 2015 for a period of 16 months, this project aims to address this contradiction by supporting government officials in the IGAD region of East Africa in deepening prevention capacities including by partnering with civil society actors and communities in order to build resilience against violent extremism. The Global…
Although the prime focus of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has been on establishing a state—a caliphate—in the Middle East, it has also sought to gain a presence beyond that area. Southeast Asia is one region that’s now receiving increased attention as a potential beachhead for the…
The Danish anti- and de-radicalization strategy involves three interwoven elements: (a) an early prevention and exit programme, (b) prosecution of radicalized persons who have committed violent crimes (in Denmark or in a foreign country), including measures such as confiscation of passport, and (c) prevention and countering of threats to national…
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) relies heavily on propaganda in the form of videos distributed over social media to recruit supporters and new members to its cause, including from the U.S. The U.S. government has countered with anti-ISIS propaganda videos; however, sources claim that the U.S. is…
Youth LEAD is an initiative supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), in partnership with UNICEF, government (Ministry of culture, Youth and Sports, Ministry of General Education and Instruction) and NGO partners. It recognizes and strengthens the capacity of both rights holders (children and youth) to make their claims…
This monograph culls major insights from rational choice scholars about the requirements for successful terrorism groups and the motivations of individuals who join those groups. Successful terrorist groups are defined as those that are both durable and pernicious. The rational choice research insights are applied to three historical cases of…
In March 2015, the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee launched a bipartisan Task Force on Combating Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel. Eight Members of Congress were charged with examining the threat to the United States from “foreign fighters”—individuals who leave home, travel abroad to terrorist safe havens, and…
Radicalisation and the recruitment of young people to become foreign terrorist fighters in Syria and Iraq represents a serious problem in Australia, and no one quite understands why the problem is as great as it is. Groups like Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) and the al-Nusra Front have been remarkably…
This report is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate, in support of the CVE program. The goal of this program is to sponsor research that will support the Administration’s strategy to advance the understanding of the foreign fighter recruitment dynamic and the…
As we approach the one-year anniversary of ISIS’s capture of Mosul and declaration of a caliphate, it appears that the organization is more robust than ever. ISIS is expanding its operations, and exploiting state tensions across the Middle East in order to accelerate disorder and gain power.
