FEATURED RESEARCH
Trends in terrorism in the US
The most common weapons used in the 207 terrorist attacks in the United States from 2001 to 2011 were incendiary devices and explosives, according to a new START report. Firearms were used less often in terrorist attacks in the United States than they were in other parts of the world. Full story…
Violent Jihadism in Real Time: Al-Shabaab’s Use of Twitter
Detailed in a new START Research Brief, the primary goals of al-Shabaab’s tweets had been to engage with English-speaking supporters and promote its own overarching narrative of current events. Before Twitter suspended the jihadist group’s account earlier this month, the group had been actively using Twitter -- sending about 1,250 tweets to more than 20,000 followers since December 2011. Full story…
Database Spotlight -- Public Warnings and Evacuations: A Study of the 2009 California Station Fire
A survey of residents of the area impacted by a large-scale 2009 wildfire revealed that just more than 60 percent of respondents who received an evacuation order during this fire actually evacuated from their home. The survey and data collected are made available through START on its Dataverse site. Full story…
DISCUSSION POINT
Discussion Point: The Dog that Doesn’t Bark
Written by START Researcher Victor Asal, this piece discusses the need for continued and expanded data collection of nonviolent groups. Asal argues that most terrorism and political violence research lacks this key element, thus curtailing our understanding of the correlates of non-state actor political violence. Full story…
START NEWS
Former START TRA takes on new policy-relevant study
While the debate continues about whether the threat of terrorism in the United States is overblown or underestimated, former START Terrorism Research Awardee Peter Krause seeks to find whether an individual’s fact-based knowledge of terrorism alters his or her stance in the debate. He is currently building a network of professors, who teach courses on terrorism and political violence, to participate in this study. Full story…
Mapping a career: Former START intern observed Hurricane Sandy from FEMA HQ
The devastation generated by Hurricane Sandy shed new light to START’s Ruth Bluestone on the role Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping plays in understanding and minimizing the effects of large-scale disasters. Full story…
Researcher Spotlight: Amy Pate
Amy Pate’s work with START – from studying ethnic minorities to understanding al-Qaida’s threat in West Africa – has allowed her to fuel her passion for understanding other cultures; a passion that was ignited as a young child on her first of many trips abroad. Full story…
Behind the bylines
This semester, START interns Mary Beck, James “J.R.” Taylor and Andres Feijoo will put pen to paper and fingers to keyboard to tell the stories of START, its researchers and its interns. Full story…
Apply now for START’s minor in Terrorism Studies
Students from all colleges and majors are encouraged to apply to START’s Terrorism Studies minor. The program provides students with the education and training needed to pursue careers in fields related to homeland security or a graduate level program. Apply by Feb. 22. Full story…
RSVP now for ‘Public Diplomacy and Countering Violent Extremism’
START will host U.S. Department of State Under Secretary Tara Sonenshine as she discusses “Public Diplomacy and Countering Violent Extremism” at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 27 at the University of Maryland. The event is free and open to the public. RSVP now…
SIGNIFICANT TERRORISM EVENTS IN THE NEWS
Greece: Series of bomb attacks creates fear
In the last month, Greece has experienced a rash of bombings targeting journalists, political figures and a mall. On Jan. 11, five journalists were targeted in coordinated bombings; on Jan. 14, gunmen opened fire on the headquarters of the ruling party; and on Jan. 20, a bomb went off in a shopping mall. Full story…
Yemen: Second in command in Yemen’s Al-Qaeda is confirmed dead
Said al-Shehri, second in command of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), has been officially declared dead by the organization. Full story…
International: Argentina and Iran sign agreement to allow an open investigation of the 1994 Buenos Aires attack
The two countries have agreed to allow five judges to conduct an open investigation into the 1994 bomb attack on the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) building that left 85 people dead and 236 wounded. Full story…
START HQ HAS MOVED
START HQ located at 8400 Baltimore Ave
This month START Headquarters packed up its offices in Symons Hall and moved to the second floor of the University of Maryland’s Route 1 Annex, adjacent to campus at 8400 Baltimore Avenue, Suite 250, College Park, MD 20740. Full story…
START IN THE NEWS
Bloomberg BusinessWeek cites START’s GTD
START’s Global Terrorism Database is cited by Bloomberg Businessweek in an article discussing the trend of attacks on the oil industry and the recent incident in Algeria. Full story…
Foreign Affairs: Jihad comes to Kenya
Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens, a START researcher and Research Fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, recently published "Jihad comes to Kenya" in Foreign Affairs. Full story…
START report finds many social media research gaps to fill
Fierce Government highlights a recent START report "Social Media Use during Disasters: A Review of the Knowledge Base and Gaps,” co-authored by START’s Brooke Liu, Julia Daisy Fraustino and Yan Jin. 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.
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.
