It’s been a busy February for START, and for executive director William Braniff, who has briefed Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI.), homeland security & governmental affairs committee chair; the House Armed Services Committee; the United Nations Counterterrorism Executive Directorate; and the Global Counterterrorism Forum.
Ron Johnson
Braniff, along with START researchers Dr. Michael Jensen and Patrick James, met with United States Senator from Wisconsin and new Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chair Ron Johnson Thursday, Feb. 5. Jensen briefed the Senator and his staff on START research pertaining to individual radicalization in the United States. Braniff briefed the Senator on START research concerning countering violent extremism (CVE). Johnson’s staff was interested in hearing about how the federal government is organized to mitigate the threat of radicalization, as well as the role of family and community in countering violent extremism.
House Armed Services Committee
.jpg)
Braniff provided expert testimony in front of the House Armed Services Committee on Feb. 13 regarding the increased number of terrorist attacks over the last several years, as well as the burgeoning competition between al-Qa’ida and its Associate Movement (AQAM) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). This marks the second time Braniff has testified before HASC, having briefed the committee on a similar topic in February of 2014. START’s Global Terrorism Database anticipates that when START releases the 2014 figures, there will have been over 15,000 terrorist attacks, an increase from 2013’s 11,500 attacks. Braniff contributes this sharp rise in terrorist attacks to the proliferation of groups generally associated with al-Qa’ida, as well as ISIL’s strategy of escalation. Braniff advised the HASC that ISIL’s sectarian violence could spark wider sectarian conflicts in the Muslim world, and that the U.S. must work with Sunni majority nations in the Muslim world to marginalize violent extremists like AQAM and ISIL, while also working to decrease sectarian tension. Braniff’s brief to the HASC comes in light of President Obama’s proposal to Congress for authorization to use military force against ISIL. To read Braniff’s full testimony or view the hearing, click here.
United Nations Counterterrorism Executive Directorate
.jpg)
On Feb. 19, START participated in the launch event for a new United Nations Counterterrorism Executive Directorate research consortium alongside research institutions from Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. In the morning, workshop participants shared research findings and ongoing projects regarding radicalization and recruitment as they pertain to foreign terrorist fighters, and the issue of “returnees.” In the afternoon, Braniff served as one of three rapporteurs, summarizing the morning discussion for the fifteen member-nations of the Counterterrorism Executive Directorate, as well as representatives from other United Nations bodies concerned with international terrorism and the foreign terrorist fighter phenomenon. Over time, CTED expects to convene the research consortium to help the United Nations inform its counterterrorism efforts with objective data and analysis. Click here to read a summary report of the launch of CTED's global research network.
Global Counterterrorism Forum: Foreign Terrorist Fighters Working Group
The Department of Homeland Security Office of Policy asked START, alongside the Southeast Asia Regional Centre on Counter-Terrorism (SEARCCT) from Malaysia, and the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) in The Hague, to participate in a panel on how research can support the early identification of radicalization on Feb. 23, the first day of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) Workshop on Raising Community Awareness to the Foreign Terrorist Fighter Phenomenon in Washington, DC.