Evaluation Capacity
ICCT sees a need for systematic evaluation of past and current counter-terrorism policies and strategies to assess effectiveness, learn from experiences and improve practices. Policies and strategies are often based on untested assumptions, thus running the risk of improper decision-making, which in turn might trigger unwanted and unforeseen dynamics. Though to some degree understandable, political imperatives to act first and reflect afterwards, are unsustainable. Therefore, ICCT aims to improve the feedback loop between policy and practice and will start by taking stock of and evaluate existing counter-terrorism strategies and initiatives.
In this Perspective, I aim to illustrate that although the crime-terror nexus has attracted significant attention of late, it is not a new phenomenon, and has past iterations that offer useful lessons for its present form. I reference my own experience as a police officer in Scotland and draw parallels to far older diaspora communities […]
As a service to ICCT’s readers, ICCT Associate Fellow Dr. Donald Holbrook summarises key points of his work and makes suggestions for further reading. Research Summary ‘What types of media do terrorists collect?’ analyses religious, political, or other ideological media publications that were uncovered in police investigations relating to individuals convicted of involvement in Islamist-inspired […]
A number of Indonesian nationals who support the self-styled Islamic State have now returned home from the Middle East. Some may have received military training or even seen combat, but so far the majority have been those who failed in their attempts to enter Syria and Iraq from Turkey and were subsequently deported. While recent […]