radicalisation

Understanding the drivers of radicalization among Syrians

Understanding the drivers of radicalization among Syrians

Introduction Long considered a moderate Muslim country, Syria has become one of the world’s most radicalized conflict zones. Despite its peaceful and political origins, the civil-war has allowed Daesh and likeminded violent radical groups to turn the country into a recruiting ground and operating base. The significant local and international security risks caused by this has triggered various campaigns to defeat Daesh/ISIS. But those efforts have largely focused on conquering the group militarily; the...

24 Sep 2018
Preventing the Nice Attack: Learning from Historical Experience

Preventing the Nice Attack: Learning from Historical Experience

After a terrorist killed 84 people in a horrific attack on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice on 14 July, the reaction in France to the third major attack in eighteen months was not political unity but bitter recriminations regarding how the attack could and should have been prevented. Christian Estrosi, the President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) Region (where Nice is located), quickly criticized what he perceived to be the lack of government...

27 Jul 2016
The Constructions of Terrorism Conference: Three Trends

The Constructions of Terrorism Conference: Three Trends

TRENDS Research & Advisory, in cooperation with the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies recently held a conference on the “Constructions of Terrorism” at the University of California, Santa Barbara campus.  From this conference three trends emerge: 1) Defining and describing terrorism means putting terrorist violence into the political context in which it occurs—this will sometimes require introspective analyses. 2) Defining terrorism is important, but perhaps mostly in aid of deciding what to...

22 Dec 2015
Highlights from the White House Summit to Counter ISIL and Violent Extremism

Highlights from the White House Summit to Counter ISIL and Violent Extremism

On 29 September, President Obama hosted another Leader’s Summit Counter ISIL and Violent Extremism.  This was a follow on from a similar Leaders’ Summit hosted by the White House in February of this year on Countering Violent Extremism. The September Summit was attended by representatives from 100 states, 20 multilateral bodies, and 120 civil society organisations.  The September Summit emphasized new initiatives undertaken by the international community in the battle against Daesh/ISIL, tackling the...

18 Oct 2015
Understanding radicalisation – Constructing counter-narratives to tackle terror

Understanding radicalisation – Constructing counter-narratives to tackle terror

On 13 June a group of Daesh/Islamic State (Daesh) suicide bombers delivered a deadly attack near the city of Baji in the Salahuddin province of Iraq.  A four-strong terrorist cell killed eleven people in two separate explosions as they detonated bombs placed in their vehicles at an oil refinery. One of the bombers was 17 year old Talha Asmal, who had travelled thousands of miles from his home town in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire in...

19 Jul 2015
Counterterrorism in France: Recent Attacks and the Vigipirate system

Counterterrorism in France: Recent Attacks and the Vigipirate system

On 26 June, France was again hit by a terrorist attack. A French citizen, Yassin Salhi, decapitated his boss and then attempted a suicide attack by using a car to blow up a factory in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, east of Lyon. Salhi was arrested immediately after the failure to destroy the factory, and now is in French custody. There are many questions that remain about the attack, in particular whether it was commanded by a terrorist...

09 Jul 2015