August News: Terrorist violence drops for fifth straight year; Virtual symposium on changing threats Sept. 10

Aug 26, 2020

FEATURED

ICYMI: START releases Global Terrorism Overview
The new START Global Terrorism Overview details the nearly 8,500 terrorist attacks that resulted in 20,300 deaths around the world in 2019. Terrorist violence around the world dropped for the fifth straight year, heavily driven by declining attacks in Iraq, however a pair of exceptionally lethal mass killings in the United States and New Zealand led to an increase in deaths from racially and ethnically motivated terrorism.

START and SIA present a virtual symposium on changing threats
The Security Industry Association, START and the University of Maryland will host a virtual event Thursday, Sept. 10 at 1 p.m. that teaches how new tools and partnerships can mitigate changing threats. Topics will include the capability development framework tool for risk assessment, horizon scanning for future threats and the new generation of threats and countermeasures. The day will conclude with Q&A. The event is free and open to the public.

National Security Forum features START research on cartel violence
START’s Geospatial Research Unit recently gave a presentation for the National Security Forum on the changing dynamics of Mexican cartel activity and violence, and discussed the potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

PUBLICATIONS

Terrorism and COVID-19: Actual and Potential Impacts
Perspectives on Terrorism
Ackerman, Gary, and Hayley Peterson

The Future of Nonviolent Resistance
Journal of Democracy
Chenoweth, Erica

Modeling Terrorist Attack Cycles as a Stochastic Process: Analyzing Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Incidents
Journal of Applied Security Research
Clark, Tyler A., and Thomas R. Guarrieri

Street-level Repression: Protest, Policing, and Dissent in Uganda
Journal of Conflict Resolution
Curtice, Travis B., and Brandon Behlendorf

Spreading Protests: Changing Paths of Transnationalization of Social Movements
Populism, Power and Protest
della Porta, Donatella

Choosing to Fight, Choosing to Die: Examining How ISIS Foreign Fighters Select Their Operational Roles
International Studies Review
Evans, Tyler, and Daniel J. Milton, Joseph K. Young

Tortured Logic: Why Some Americans Support the Use of Torture in Counterterrorism
Columbia University Press
Kearns, Erin M., and Joseph K. Young

Biased Hate Crime Perceptions Can Reveal Supremacist Sympathies
PNAS
Leander, N. Pontus, and Jannis Kreienkamp, Maximilian Agostini, Wolfgang Stroebe, Ernestine H. Gordijn, Arie W. Kruglanski

White Demographic Anxiety and Support for Torture of Terrorism Suspects
Studies in Conflict and Terrorism
Piazza, James A.

NEWS

START researchers present on international white supremacist movement for State Department
Senior Researcher Dr. Elizabeth Yates and START Director William Braniff recently presented on the international white supremacist movement for an audience including Department of State, civil society and NATO representatives, hosted by the U.S. Embassy in Belgium. The event was a part of the U.S. Speaker Program, an initiative funded by the State Department’s International Information Programs Bureau which aims to promote a global understanding of U.S. policies and institutions within their political, economic, social and cultural context.

Senate homeland security staffer offers career advice for START students
Former START intern Maggie Frankel, a professional staffer on the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (HSGAC), recently spoke about her professional experience and offered advice to START interns on jumpstarting their careers.

Jason Blazakis discusses complex nature of terrorist designations
During a recent installment of START’s webinar series, Jason Blazakis, a professor at Middlebury College’s Institute of International Studies (MIIS), spoke on “Trump's Deployment of Terrorist Designations: A Look at the IRGC and Russian Imperial Movement.” The former director of the Counterterrorism Finance and Designations Office at the Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, Blazakis discussed how organizations are designated as foreign terrorist organizations.

Expert gives interns insight into lone-actor terrorism
Jacob Holzer, M.D., on staff at McLean Hospital and the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, and faculty at Harvard Medical School, spoke to START interns in July on the complex clinical and behavioral aspects of lone-actor terrorism.

START student interns with United Nations
After an internship with START’s GTD team in 2019, Swini Adikari landed an internship with Sri Lanka’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations. Throughout that internship, she worked with members of the Sri Lankan diaspora community in the Tri-state area, organizing cultural events and assisting residents with visa applications.

START internships, coursework, motivate Ole Miss student to pursue career in intelligence
In the summer between his freshman and sophomore year of high school, Harrison Durland attended a summer program at Patrick Henry College that changed his life. The program influenced his career pursuits, which in turn, influenced his decision on where to attend college.

EVENTS

Lecture: Far-Right Extremist Mobilization Surges During U.S. Unrest
1 p.m. ET August 27, Online
Independent research scholars Alejandro J. Beutel and Daryl Johnson will provide a virtual lecture on their recent Center for Global Policy publication “Far-Right Extremist Mobilization Surges During U.S. Unrest.” The speakers will survey recent U.S. far-right actor mobilization, offer findings from the article's open source dataset mapping far-left and far-right presence around the nationwide anti-racism protests, a forecast of future short-term extremist trends before during and immediately after the 2020 U.S. national elections, and policy recommendations.

Tortured Logic: Why Some Americans Support the Use of Torture in Counterterrorism
12 p.m. ET September 18, Online
University of Alabama Assistant Professor Dr. Erin M. Kearns and American University Professor Dr. Joseph K. Young will provide a virtual talk on their new book “Tortured Logic: Why Some Americans Support the Use of Torture in Counterterrorism.”

OPPORTUNITIES

CIRI Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS 2020) Student Posters Opportunity

Job Opportunity: US Election Worker

2020 Census Jobs

Job Opportunity: White Ops Threat Intelligence Analyst

Job Opportunity: Thomson Reuters Analyst

Job Opportunity: Booz Allen Hamilton Socio-Cultural Analyst

#NatSecGirlSquad Internships and Fellowships

Job Opportunity: CINA Workforce Development Lead

Job Opportunity: Georgetown University CSET Data Research Analyst

Further information on other job opportunities, fellowship programs, conferences and more can be found on our website’s Other Opportunities page.

START provides ample online education and training opportunities
Whether you are a full-time student or working professional, START has many options for you to further your education and build applicable skills, all from the comfort of your own home. Online offerings include:

START IN THE NEWS

Center for Global Policy: Far-right extremist mobilization surges during US unrest
START affiliate Alejandro Beutel co-wrote this article about far right extremist actions in response to protests in the United States.

Washington Post: Covid-19 pandemic is stoking extremist flames worldwide, analysts warn
START Director William Braniff is quoted in this article about how the pandemic is affecting extremism worldwide.

PBS NewsHour: Should the U.S. designate racial violence as terrorism?
This segment about racial violence in the United States uses data from the Extremist Crime Database (ECDB) and quotes START Director William Braniff.

Fox News: Taliban, despite 'peace' talks, led the world by far in 2019 terrorist attacks, study finds
The Global Terrorism Database (GTD) 2019 report is cited and GTD Program Manager Erin Miller is quoted in this article about terrorism in Afghanistan during the peace talks.

Defense One: Monuments, terrorism and the American white power movement
GTD Program Manager Erin Miller discusses terrorism trends highlighted in the recent 2019 Global Terrorism Database report in this Defense One podcast.

NBC: Protesters hit by cars recently highlight a dangerous far-right trend in America
This opinion piece about vehicle ramming attacks in the United States uses data from the Global Terrorism Database (GTD).

PolitiFact: No, Black Lives Matter is not a terrorist organization
This PolitiFact article about the Black Lives Matter movement cites data from the Global Terrorism Database (GTD).

Georgetown Journal of International Affairs: The Republican People’s Party (CHP) is complicit in the erosion of democracy in Turkey
START affiliate Max Erdemandi wrote this article about the actions of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) in Turkey.

Fox News: As the US moves out of Afghanistan, Iran cements ties with the Taliban and officials
START researcher Barnett Koven is quoted in this article about Iranian actions in Afghanistan.

War on the Rocks: The looming influx of foreign fighters in Sub-Saharan Africa
START affiliate Victor Asal is quoted in this opinion piece about foreign fighters in sub-Saharan Africa.

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.

Our mailing address is:

The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START)

PO Box Number 266

5245 Greenbelt Rd

College Park, MD 20740