- “The Radical Milieu and Radical Influencers of Bosnian Foreign Fighters” by Asya Metodieva. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, Published online: 18 Jan 2021
- “The crafting of alliance cohesion among insurgents: The case of al-Qaeda affiliated groups in the Sahel region” by Troels Burchall Henningsen. Contemporary Security Policy, Published online: 22 Jan 2021
- “Deep Analysis of Taliban Videos: Differential Use of Multimodal, Visual and Sonic Forms across Strategic Themes” by Weeda Mehran ,Umniah Al Bayati,Matthew Mottet &Anthony F. Lemieux. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, Published online: 11 Jan 2021
- “Playing for Hate? Extremism, Terrorism, and Videogames” by Nick Robinson &Joe Whittaker. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, Published online: 11 Jan 2021
- “De-Talibanization and the Onset of Insurgency in Afghanistan” by Tricia Bacon &Daniel Byman. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, Published online: 14 Jan 2021
- “The online behaviors of Islamic state terrorists in the United States” by Joe Whittaker. Criminology & Public Policy, First published: 03 January 2021
- “The effects of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on suicide terrorism” by Mustafa Demir &Ahmet Guler. Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression, Published online: 06 Jan 2021
- “Hate in the time of coronavirus: exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on violent extremism and terrorism in the West” by Francesco Marone. Security Journal, Published 07 January 2021
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Keywords:
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Research Summary & Policy Implications
Research Summary
This study offers an empirical insight into terrorists’ use of the Internet. Although criminology has previously been quiet on this topic, behavior‐based studies can aid in understanding the interactions between terrorists and their environments. Using a database of 231 US‐based Islamic State terrorists, four important findings are offered: (1) This cohort utilized the Internet heavily for the purposes of both networking with co‐ideologues and learning about their intended activity. (2) There is little reason to believe that these online interactions are replacing offline ones, as has previously been suggested. Rather, terrorists tend to operate in both domains. (3) Online activity seems to be similar across the sample, regardless of the number of co‐offenders or the sophistication of attack. (4) There is reason to believe that using the Internet may be an impediment to terrorists’ success.
Policy Implications
The findings of this study have two important policy implications. First, it is vital to understand the multiplicity of environments in which terrorists inhabit. Policy makers have tended to emphasize the online domain as particularly dangerous and ripe for exploitation. While this is understandable from one perspective, simplistic and monocausal explanations for radicalization must be avoided. Terrorists operate in both the online and offline domain and there is little reason to believe that the former is replacing the latter. The two may offer different criminogenic inducements to would‐be terrorists, and at times they may be inseparably intertwined. Second, when policy responses do focus on online interventions, it is vital to understand the unintended consequences. This is particularly the case for content removal, which may inadvertently be aiding terrorists and hampering law enforcement investigations.
Abstract
Keywords:
Suicide terrorism
9/11 terrorist attacks
Types of terrorist organization
Abstract
Novel COVID-19 is having far-reaching consequences worldwide. Security and security management are not immune from this influence. Building on the scientific literature, this article explores the mixed impact of this unexpected macro-level phenomenon and its consequences on violent extremism and terrorism in the West, in the short and in the medium to long term. The paper looks at the influence on extremist beliefs and attitudes and, moreover, it examines the effects on extremist behaviors, with an emphasis on terrorist activities, drawing on a model of terrorist attack cycle. The COVID-19 pandemic can be interpreted as a global natural experiment that offers insight into causal processes, in the interplay among societal, group, and individual factors.
Keywords:
- Violent extremism
- Terrorism
- COVID-19
- Propaganda
- Counterterrorism
- Security