START launches new tool for counterterrorism community
START’s Influencing Violent Extremist Organizations (I-VEO) Knowledge Matrix can help counterterrorism planners and practitioners better understand how their policies and operations may influence violent extremist organizations (VEOs). It identifies and gauges the level of empirical support for more than 180 hypotheses about influencing VEOs, from positive incentives to punitive actions. Full story…
Database Spotlight: Radiological and Nuclear Non-State Adversaries (RANNSAD)
START researchers have released a dataset examining the characteristics of non-state users and attempted users of radiological and nuclear weapons. Full story…
Far-right Violence in the United States
Following the Aug. 5 shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisc., START researchers compiled background information from the United States Extremist Crime Database on ideologically motivated far-right violence in the United States. Full story…
Conciliatory tactics more effective than punishment in reducing terrorism
Policies that reward abstinence from terrorism are more successful in reducing such acts of violence than tactics that aim to punish terrorists, suggests a new study by START researchers in the August issue of the American Sociological Review. Full story…
Introducing ‘Political Resilience’
This is the first of a series of thought pieces authored by members of the START Consortium to foster thoughtful reflection and discussion. Written by Clark McCauley, this column introduces an expansion of the concept of community resilience to include political resilience. Full story…
START awarded nearly $1 million to improve emergency alert text messaging
Researchers have been awarded nearly $1 million for a first-of-its-kind project to determine the most effective way to communicate imminent threats to the public via text messaging on mobile devices. Full story…
School principals can help assess community resilience
School principals are key players in assessing community resilience – the ability of a community to take meaningful and collective action in the face of a large-scale negative event – according to a new journal article based on research funded through START. Full story…
Researcher Spotlight: Kelly Damphousse
University of Oklahoma professor Kelly Damphousse talks about how he went from dreaming about being an NHL goalie to informing the counterterrorism community with his research. Full story…
‘Policing Terrorism’
The Police Foundation recently published START Director Gary LaFree’s essay discussing the trends in terrorism over the years and how police forces can better address terrorist threats. Full story…
START releases risk communication guides for emergency managers
START has released two new guides that are designed to provide emergency managers and local leaders with the foundations for conducting effective risk communication during the preparedness, response and recovery phases of all homeland security-related hazards. Full story…
Video: LaFree speaks at National Institute of Justice conference
The National Institute of Justice recently posted video from START Director Gary LaFree’s keynote address at its conference last year. LaFree’s talk focused on the status of the terrorism research field pre- and post-9/11. Full story…
Enacting best practices in risk communication
START researchers recently presented a paper that expanded upon past work on best practices in risk communication by including a prominent practitioner perspective and a focus on special populations that may not be reachable by traditional channels of communication. Full story…
Colombia: Attack on pipelines wreak havoc on oil supply and nearby towns
Members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC) blew up part of the Caño Limon-Coveñas oil pipeline in the Boyaca province around July 22. They are also suspected of blowing up another pipeline in Narino, near the city of Tumaco on Aug. 19. Full story…
Yemen: At least 45 killed in attack on funeral, six arrested
A suicide bomber targeted a funeral wake in the city of Jaar in southern Yemen. At least 45 people were killed in the attack and dozens more were wounded. Full story…
Syria: Free Syrian Army demands improvement in human rights in Iran
After kidnapping 48 Iranian pilgrims on Aug. 4, the Free Syrian Army (FSA) has made a statement that it will release the hostages when the “Iranian government respected the human rights of ‘its own people’ and tried to help end the bloodshed in Syria.” Full story…
Russia: Ramadan proves to be a violent month in Dagestan
The Muslim holiday of Ramadan has been tarnished by bombings and shootings in the region of Dagestan in Russia. On Aug. 18, eight people were injured when masked gunmen entered a mosque and opened fire on approximately 70 worshipers. Full story…
United States: Charges filed in Family Research Council shooting
Floyd Lee Corkins II has been officially charged with assault with the intent to kill and interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition. On Aug. 15, Corkins entered the Washington, D.C., offices of the Family Research Council, stated “I don’t like your politics,” and then took out a pistol he had been carrying in his backpack. Full story…
Faculty Senior Researcher
The START Consortium and the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS) at the University of Maryland is currently seeking to hire a faculty member (rank open) who will be half-time at START and half-time in one of the academic departments within BSOS. This is a tenured or tenure stream position. Apply by Sept. 4. Application Information…
Black Swans and Burstiness: Oct. 4 Lecture
Join START and the University of Maryland Community at 4 p.m. October 4 for a special lecture by Gary LaFree on “Black Swans and Burstiness: Countering the Myths of Terrorism,” as part of the Distinguished Scholar-Teacher program. Full story…
Research Roundtable on CBRN Terrorism: Sept. 12
START Special Projects Researcher Lauren Pinson will give a Research Roundtable on CBRN Terrorism 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12 in Symons Hall Rm. 3121. She will focus on lone actors, autonomous cells and Salafia Jihadia's plots to attack nuclear facilities. Full story…
Study Abroad Information Session: Oct. 1
Undergraduate and graduate students can study how terrorism impacts Australia and the Pacific Rim through a study abroad offered by START in Sydney this winter. Full story…
Terrorism Studies Minor Information Session: Dec. 3, 7
The Terrorism Studies minor is designed to explore the origins and motivations of terrorism and impacts of the threat of terrorism on both individuals and communities. Full story…
Understanding America’s domestic extremist threat
In this CNN.com op-ed, START researchers Jeff Gruenewald, William Parkin and Michael Suttmoeller highlight the ongoing and underreported threat that domestic extremism poses to law enforcement officers in the United States. Full story…
Temple Gunman said military experience drove him to hate
START affiliated researcher Pete Simi is interviewed in this NPR story about the Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin and Wade Michael Page. Full story…
Coverage of Far-right Violence Fact Sheet
In their coverage of the Sikh temple shooting, many top-tier news organizations – including the Economist, Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report -- used the START Fact Sheet on Far-right Violence in the United States, compiled from the Extremist Crime Database by START researchers Joshua Freilich, Steven Chermak, Jeff Gruenewald, William Parkin and Michael Suttmoeller. Full story…
Coverage of Moving Beyond Deterrence
Multiple news outlets covered the research in the new book by Laura Dugan and Erica Chenoweth. Full story…
Why is ‘terrorism’ so hard to define?
In this article, START Executive Director Bill Braniff discusses how terrorism is a political tactic but remains hard to define because of the emotionally charged aspects of belief systems. Full story…
This is a selection of news clips from the past month. A complete list of START’s media coverage can be found here.
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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 policymakers. 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.
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