New recommendations to counter violent extremism
Based on findings from the National Summit on Empowering Communities to Prevent Violent Extremism, a new report articulates important paradigm shifts in countering violent extremism and provides a framework that addresses what law enforcement, other government agencies and communities can do to enhance CVE efforts.
Read more. Summaries of the recommendations are available at:
- Law Enforcement-Focused Best Practices to Prevent Violent Extremism
- Government Agency-Focused Best Practices to Prevent Violent Extremism
- Community-Focused Best Practices to Prevent Violent Extremism
Study shows longer emergency text alerts improve safety
A U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)-sponsored START study shows lengthier text alerts during emergency situations helps citizens better prepare for risks ahead. Emergency text alerts with 280 characters, instead of the current 90, are more effective in improving public safety. Read more.
Understanding the threat: What data tells us about US foreign fighters
In this analytical brief, START Researchers Patrick James, Michael Jensen and Herbert Tinsley discuss their analysis of empirical data about foreign fighters – some of which runs counter to convention. Read more.
A Smart Bomb in Every Garage? Driverless Cars and the future of Terrorist Attacks
In this editorial piece, Jeffrey Lewis, former START TRA, discusses how evolving automotive technology could change tactics used by terrorists. Read more.
Why do Ethnopolitical Organisations Turn to Crime
Global Crime
Asal, Victor, and James J.F. Forest, Brian Nussbaum
Assessing the Bioweapons Threat
Science
Boddie, Crystal, and Matthew Watson, Gary Ackerman, Gigi Kwik Gronvall
The Emergence of Lone Wolf Terrorism: Patterns of Behavior and Implications for Intervention
Sociology of Crime, Law and Deviance
Smith, Brent, and Jeff Gruenewald, Paxton Roberts, Kelly Damphousse
Divergent Paths to Martyrdom and Significance among Suicide Attackers
Terrorism and Political Violence
Webber, David, and Kristen Klein, Arie Kruglanski, Ambra Brizi, Ariel Merari
Myth and Reality in International Politics
Routledge
Wilkenfeld, Jonathan
State Department visits START for briefing on CVE research
The U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Press Center recently hosted a group of more than a dozen foreign journalists at START for a briefing on the consortium’s research into countering violent extremism. The visit was designed to give perspective on how partnerships among governments (both national and local), local actors, and community leaders can effectively counter violent extremism. Read more.
START briefs US Army Intelligence and Security Command
START Executive Director William Braniff was recently invited to the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) to serve as a guest speaker during its Commander’s Conference. Though it’s rare for people external to the Army or Intelligence Community to be invited, Braniff was asked to deliver a lecture about START research and his understanding of global jihadism and its evolution. Read more.
Braniff participates in World Summit on Counterterrorism
START Executive Director William Braniff was among the international experts who recently gathered at the World Summit on Counterterrorism hosted by the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism in Israel earlier this month. Read more.
$30 million save sparks START Intern’s career
START intern Kevin Bock first realized his special interest in computer programming four years ago, after saving his then employer from a $30 million fine. Now he’s applying his coding skills to analyze how people engage in terrorism discourse. Read more.
CVE: Developing an evidence-base for policy and practice
START researchers were among a group of international scholars and practitioners to contribute to a volume of papers on “Countering Violent Extremism: Developing an Evidence-base for Policy and Practice,” recently released by Hedayah, the COVER Program at Curtin University and People against Violent Extremism. Read more.
Train with START
START is building a training program that focuses on enhancing the skills of the current homeland security workforce by providing learning opportunities based on cutting edge, rigorous research in areas ranging from terrorism studies to radicalization to risk communication. Read more.
The Israeli-Palestinian Security Conundrum panel discussion Sept. 30
Foreign policy experts will gather at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., from 8-10:30 a.m. Sept. 30, to discuss internal Palestinian security concerns, challenges to Israeli-Palestinian joint security, and the role of external actors in Israel-Palestinian security. Hosted by the University of Maryland’s ICONS Project, the event is free and open to the public and news media. Read more.
Victor Asal (remotely): Big, Allied and Dangerous project, 1 p.m. Oct. 1 START Headquarters
**START Spring 2016 Internships**
During the course of their internship, participants are exposed to the most up-to-date theories, methods and information related to the study of terrorism. They are versed in the critical questions tackled by homeland security practitioners, policy makers and researchers, and are mentored in a professional environment geared toward student success. The program is designed to prepare the next generation of homeland security scholars and practitioners through real-world research experience. Priority Deadline Oct. 30, Final Application Deadline Nov. 13. Apply now.
Call for Papers: NATO CyCon Submit by Oct. 1.
Call for Abstracts: Nice Global Forum HLS & Crisis Management Submit by Oct. 1.
Call for Papers: Journal of International Relations Research Submit by Oct. 1.
West Point’s Combatting Terrorism Center internship program Apply by Oct. 15.
UIUC: Associate Director, Program in Arms Control Apply by Oct. 22.
Max Planck Institute: Quantitative researcher Apply by Oct. 31.
Call for Papers: Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Submit by Sept. 1, 2016
DHS S&T ‘National Conversation on Homeland Security and Technology’ Dialogue Series Participate Now.
START IN THE NEWS
START researcher and distinguished University of Maryland professor Arie Kruglanski writes this editorial for the Huffington Post on the post-September 11th political landscape in the United States. Read more.
CQ Researcher: Far-right Extremism – Can the government stem the threat of violence?
Many START researchers (William Braniff, Steve Chermak, Joshua Freilich, Martha Crenshaw, Pete Simi, and Susan Szmania) are quoted throughout this report about the threat of far-right extremist violence in the United States. Read more.
Christian Science Monitor: ISIS in America – how doomsday Muslim cult is turning kids against parents
The first in a series, this Christian Science article quotes START researcher John Horgan about the allure young people see in joining ISIS. Read more.
Today's Terrorists Want to Inspire
The Atlantic recently published an interview with START researcher Martha Crenshaw about domestic terrorism post-September 11th, which also mentioned data from the Global Terrorism Database. Read more.
A complete list of START’s media coverage can be found here.
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 © 2015 The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), All rights reserved.