A consortium of researchers dedicated to improving the understanding of the human causes and consequences of terrorism

July News: 2015 GTD data released; Authority-community partnerships; Framework for public-private CVE

FEATURED RESEARCH
New research analyzes partnerships between authorities and racial/ethnic minority communities
Dr. Demis E. Glasford conducted research that examines how minority-outreach communication frames influence the relationship that racial and ethnic minority community members have with those in positions of authority and found that fostering a strong relationship between authorities and racial/ethnic minority communities is critical to counterterrorism efforts. Read more.
 
2015 Global Terrorism Database now available
The total number of terrorist attacks and total deaths due to terrorist attacks worldwide decreased by 12% in 2015, compared to 2014, according to START’s Global Terrorism Database (GTD), which is updated annually and which now includes data on events that occurred through December 2015. Read more.
 
Providing a framework for creating public-private partnerships to counter violent extremism
A new report by START CVE researchers Alejandro Beutel and Peter Weinberger finds that CVE-based public-private partnerships (PPPs) are the most optimal sourcing option to address major security challenges. Read more.

 


DISCUSSION POINTS
 
Madness and Terrorism

Patrick James and Daniela Pisoiu write this discussion point on the recent attack at an Orlando night club and the apparent relationship between mental illness and extremist violence as evidenced in the Profiles of Individual Radicalization in the United States (PIRUS) dataset. Read more.

Computational Social Science: Understanding terrorist attacks on Twitter
Erin C. McGrath and Cody Buntain write this discussion point, on how social media can give insight into public response to terrorist attacks. McGrath and Buntain perform computational social science research for the National Science Foundation’s Interdisciplinary Research and Education (INSPIRE) project. Read more.
 


PUBLICATIONS

From Factors to Actors: Enhancing the Reliability of CBRN Analysis
CBRNe World Magazine
Breiger, Ronald and Lauren Pinson, Gary Ackerman
 
Global Terrorism and the Deadliest Groups since 2001
Peace and Conflict 2016 (Routledge)
LaFree, Gary and Laura Dugan
 
Opportunity, Group Structure, Temporal Patterns, and Successful Outcomes of Far-Right Incidents in the United States
Crime & Delinquency
Klein, Brent R. and Jeff Gruenewald, Brent L. Smith
 
Addressing violent extremism as public health policy and practice
Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression
Weine, Stevan and David P. Eisenman, Janni Kinsler, Deborah C. Glik, Chloe Polutnik
 


START NEWS

START approved to launch new MOOC focused on CVE
The University of Maryland recently selected START, through a competitive application process, to develop a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on the subject of Countering Violent Extremism (CVE), scheduled for release in early 2017. Read more
 
Summer interns present at CREATE-TSA Symposium
Two START summer interns were recently given the opportunity to present at a Symposium held by the Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE), a fellow Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Read more.
 
Liberty Day sits down with NJOHS
START training manager Liberty Day recently attended the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security (NJOHS) Regional Domestic Terrorism Conference, where she recorded a podcast and discussed START training opportunities and tools with several NJOHS representatives. Read more.
 
START hosts visiting students from Macquarie University in Australia
For the second year in a row, START welcomed a group of 21 students from Macquarie University in Australia to participate in a 10-day workshop focused on United States-Australia cooperation and contemporary security issues. Read more.
 
Intern Spotlight: Brian DeShong
Brian DeShong, a START summer intern working on the Aviation Insider Threat project, shares a harrowing tale of being nearly abducted while roaming the Moroccan desert. Read more.

 


START OPPORTUNITIES

START is now accepting applications for the fall 2016 Internship Program. Interns are unpaid and work 10 hours per week on one of 18 different project teams. Apply by July 10.
 
START’s Graduate Certificate in Terrorism Analysis. Open to academicians and practitioners, and can be completed in as few as nine months. Apply by July 15.
 
The Terror-Crime Nexus & Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Threats online course. Register now.
 
Free online short series of video lectures on “Core Capabilities and Potential Durability of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).” View now.


OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

 
Job Opportunity: WORDE Programs Manager Apply now.
 
Call for Papers: Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice on terrorism, political violence and asymmetric conflict Submit by July 20.

Call for Papers: CBRNe Convergence Conference Submit by August 31.
 
Call for Papers: Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Submit by Sept. 1.
 
Call for Papers: Journal of International Relations Research (JIRR) Submit by Oct. 1.


START IN THE NEWS

Coverage of Orlando Attack-
Several START researchers and projects were mentioned in major media coverage following a terrorist attack at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, including:

 
FiveThirtyEight: Global terrorism declined last year – but not in the West
This article from FiveThirtyEight blog covers major findings from the release of the 2015 Global Terrorism Database dataset. Read more.
 
USA Today: When terrorism’s greatest threat isn’t the terrorist
Data from START’s Global Terrorism Database is mentioned in this piece about media coverage of terrorist attacks. Read more.
 

This is a selection of news clips from the past month.
A complete list of START’s media coverage can be found
here.

 


SUPPORTING START

Help Support START Research and Education
The START Consortium is dedicated to generating knowledge of the human causes and consequences of terrorism. Applying rigorous standards to both research and education, START seeks to illuminate one of the most highly politicized and understudied phenomena in the social sciences for students, practitioners and policy-makers. Funded primarily through research grants to date, START is seeking to generate an endowment that will provide the flexibility and autonomy to ensure that it can continue to serve as an objective source of data and empirically based analysis into the future.  To donate, or for more information, please click here.

Copyright © 2017 The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), All rights reserved.