Overview
Publications
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A Comparative Analysis of the Data on Western Foreign Fighters in Syria and Iraq: Who Went and Why?Through a comparative analysis of key publications on foreign fighters, this paper provides a thematic overview of the relevant literature to date. The paper examines and collates the most widely cited explanations and characteristics of foreign terrorist fighters.
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Keeping Faith with Trump: The Dangerous Causes and the ConsequencesIn order to understand what continuously motivates people to join the far-right, Lorne L. Dawson explores four aspects of the study of extremism: responses to the failure of prophecies; why people adopt extreme beliefs; the role of social dynamics and networks in consolidating extremist movements; and the nature and operation of charismatic leadership and authority.
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An attack on the Capitol and democracy: an act of terrorism?A close examination of the recent events that took place in Washington DC. The storming of the US Capitol on 6th January is discussed in through a legal perspective.
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Normalisation, party politics and vigilantism: Why the next terrorist wave will not be right-wing extremistThis paper will argue that for large parts of the West, concerns about the rise of right-wing extremism are misguided because of right-wing extremists' lacking organisational clout and preference for other tactics.
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Q-Pilled: Conspiracy Theories, Trump, and Election Violence in the United StatesWhat are the possibilities of electoral violence in the 2020 US Elections? This Perspective outlines key scenarios and examines likely reactions by QAnon adherents.
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Analysing personal accounts of perpetrators of incel violence: what do they want and who do they target?In this Perspective, ICCT Director Renske van der Veer calls on analysts to make use of incel writings as a means to understand their motivations—as well as to begin to answer the question: are incels terrorists?
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Swiping Right: The Allure of Hyper Masculinity and Cryptofascism for Men Who Join the Proud BoysIn this Research Paper, Samantha Kutner explores the scripts and narratives that attract the members of crypto-fascist extremist organisations with an in-depth analysis of the Proud Boys.
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The Russian Imperial Movement (RIM) and its Links to the Transnational White Supremacist Extremist MovementThe Russian Imperial Movement marks the first time the US State Department has designated a white supremacist extremist organisation as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity.
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Rightist Violence: An Historical PerspectiveIn this essay, Tim Wilson traces the evolution of right-wing violence from its emergence in the 19th century to present day. It asks the questions: just how tactically innovative is rightist violence in the 21st century?
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Testament to Murder: The Violent Far-Right’s Increasing Use of Terrorist ManifestosIn this Policy Brief, Jacob Ware assesses far right manifestos for common themes, before discussing implications for counterterrorism scholars and practitioners.
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A Schema of Right-Wing Extremism in the United StatesIn this Policy Brief, Sam Jackson presents a schema of three main forms of right-wing extremism in the United States in order to more clearly understand the landscape: racist extremism, nativist extremism, and anti-government extremism.
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A Threat from Within? Exploring the Link between the Extreme Right and the MilitaryIn this Policy Brief, Daniel Koehler assesses the current and historical links between the extreme right and the military across Europe and North America.
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Extreme-Right Violence and Terrorism: Concepts, Patterns, and ResponsesIn this policy brief, Tore Bjørgo and Jacob Aasland Ravndal highlight the distinctions between extreme-right violence and Jihadi violence and provide recommendations for practitioners working in this area.
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Siege: The Atomwaffen Division and Rising Far-Right Terrorism in the United StatesIn this Policy Brief, Jacob Ware assesses the rising threat posed by far-right extremism in the United States, using the Atomwaffen Division as a case study.
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Caliphate Soldiers and Lone Actors: What to Make of IS Claims for Attacks in the West 2016-2018This ICCT Research Paper tries to find the links between lone actors and the organisation's main leadership through examining the changes in the ways IS has claimed credit for violent incidents in Western countries.
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The Foreign Terrorist Fighter Repatriation Challenge: The View from CanadaPhil Gurski offers his thoughts on the issue of returning foreign fighters by discussing the different challenges countries are facing, taking a closer look at the situation in Canada.
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Rethinking “Prison Radicalisation” – Lessons from the U.S. Federal Correctional SystemThis Perspective, written by George Washington University Research Fellow Bennett Clifford, looks at the necessity for U.S. prison counter-terrorism authorities to strengthen in-prison responses to prepare incarcerated extremists for release.
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The Demise of the Islamic State and the Fate of Its Western Foreign Fighters: Six Things to ConsiderIn this Policy Brief, Dr. Lorne L. Dawson asks: with the military defeat of the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria, what will become of the remaining fighters? Will IS remain a significant terrorist threat, especially outside of Syria and Iraq? And, how will the demise of IS affect the future of jihadism in general?
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Do We Really Understand What the Comprehensive Approach is All About in Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Radicalisation?In this Perspective, ICCT Research Fellow Stef Wittendorp examines recent developments in the "comprehensive" approaches to counter-terrorism and counter-radicalisation that have been adopted in many European countries and the United States.
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The Fate of the Perpetrator in the Jihadist Modus Operandi: Suicide Attacks and Non-Suicide Attacks in the West, 2004-2017While suicide attacks have long been considered the hallmark of jihadist terrorism, this Research Paper analyses a recent, dual trend towards suicidal and self-preserving attacks and discusses implications for the operational response to these attacks.
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The Turner Legacy: The Storied Origins and Enduring Impact of White Nationalism’s Deadly BibleThe Turner Diaries, the infamous racist dystopian novel by neo-Nazi William Luther Pierce, has inspired more than 200 murders since its publication in 1978. This paper documents the books that directly and indirectly inspired Turner and examines the extensive violence that the novel has inspired.
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Accountability and Transparency in the United States’ Counter-Terrorism StrategyIn this Commentary, Research Fellow Jessica Dorsey responds to the recently released CIA "Torture Report" and discusses the accountability and transparency in the counter-terrorism strategy of the United States.
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Testing the Validity of US Self-Defence Arguments against the Khorasan Group in SyriaThis Commentary tests the validity of the specific US self-defence arguments against the Khorasan group in Syria, examining both Article 51 of the UN Charter and customary international law on this issue.
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Towards a Theory of Fear Management in the Counter-Terrorism DomainThe Paper identifies and analyses governmental approaches to managing fear in relation to terrorist incidents.
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The End of Radicalisation?Following the Boston Marathon and Woolwich attacks in 2013, some commentators proclaimed the end of the concept of radicalisation as the root cause for terrorism. Dr. Alex Schmid takes a closer look at this claim.
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Creating a Police State Mentality? Stronger Visual Surveillance of Public Places after the Boston BombingsDuring the first US Congressional hearing on the Boston bombings and in media reports, Boston’s police commissioner, Mr. Edward F. Davis III, advocated for stronger visual monitoring of public spaces.
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Terrorism Prevention as Situational Crime PreventionIn the latest Commentary, Dr. Alex Schmid argues that exploring the utility of situational crime prevention - widely used in the field of criminology - maybe the future of terrorism prevention.
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The US NDAA and its Controversial Counter-Terrorism ProvisionsThis Commentary reviews Sections 1021 and 1022 of the "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012" (NDAA 2012) – probably the act’s most controversial counter-terrorism provisions.
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The End of an Age of Terror? The Death of Osama bin LadenAfter its irrelevance in the Arab Spring and the death of its iconic and unifying leader and the lack of a strong successor with similar stature is the ultimate blow to al Qaeda.
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9/11 Nine Years OnThe Commentary tries to explain the reasons for the (delayed) outburst of anti-Islamic emotions and demonstrations in various parts of the world.
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Decrease in Global Terrorism Threat: Now Look for Means to Sustain ItIn the first ICCT Commentary, Prof. Dr. Edwin Bakker reflects upon the conclusions by Insurance Company Aon that counter-terrorism efforts have caused a decrease in the global terrorism threat level.
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