Talking Terror: Recent Episodes
John F. Morrison
Talking Terror is a podcast series presented and produced by Dr. John F. Morrison, a senior lecturer in criminology at Royal Holloway, University of London. In the episodes John talks to world leading experts of terrorism and extremism about their research findings and its impact. These conversations will allow the listener to get an in-depth insight into some of the best research on terrorism, from the researchers themselves. Within the episodes the guests will discuss their own research, as well as the research by others who have influenced them.
It is our aim that this podcast series will be worthwhile and interesting for a wide ranging audience. From students to professors, practitioners to those with a passing interest in understanding terrorism and counter-terrorism, we believe that there will be something for everyone within each episode.
For the most up to date information about the show be sure to follow us on Twitter @Terror_podcast using #TalkingTerror
This podcast was originally established while John was director of the Terrorism and Extremism Research Centre at the University of East London.
Back in early 2020 I sat down with Erin Kearns to talk about her fascinating research on why terrorists lie. Back then I thought this was going to be one of many more Talking Terror episodes for an upcoming series. However, since then for a multitude of reasons there has not been an opportunity to concentrate on developing the third series. But it would be a shame for this episode never to see the light of day. Erin gives great insight here on her research, insight that I know you will enjoy.
Since the recording of this episode Erin has moved to join the excellent team at NCITE in the University of Nebraska Omaha.
Hopefully one day soon there will be a new Talking Terror series. But until that day please enjoy this lost episode.
This episode was made in collaboration with our friends 'Conversations with Criminologists', an excellent podcast from the Criminology team at University College Cork. This episode was recorded at the 2019 North South Criminology Conference in Cork and includes a conversation between John Horgan and Shadd Maruna about their research in criminology and terrorism studies. In this discussion there is a conversation on how terrorism researchers can learn from the desistance literature in criminology.
Nathan Smith and Emma Barrett: Extreme Environments and Counter-Terrorism by John F. Morrison
This is an appeal for an information or help that any listeners could give in the search for Nora Quoirin a 15 year old girl with learning difficulties missing in Malaysia. She went missing from the Dusun resort near Seremban 62km south of Kuala Lumpur.
The family believe that because of her disabilities that she would not wander away or leave her parents under her own agency. She will also not be able to comprehend her situation or react.
If you have any information, no matter how small, please get in touch with the Malaysian authorities.
In today's episode John talks to David Well's from the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED)about the role which the UN broadly, and CTED specifically play in counter-terrorism and CVE.
This episode is sponsored by IB Tauris. If you want a 35% discount on all books from the Middle-East and Politics sections of bloomsbury.com be sure to use the discount code TALKINGIBT19 at checkout.
If you or anyone you know is interested in doing an MSc in Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London be sure to visit rhul.ac.uk for more information.
This episode is sponsored by IB Tauris. If you want a 35% discount on all books from the Middle-East and Politics sections of bloomsbury.com be sure to use the discount code TALKINGIBT19 at checkout.
If you or anyone you know is interested in doing an MSc in Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London be sure to visit rhul.ac.uk for more information.
In today's episode John talks to Dr. Nicole Tishler about her research on terrorist hoaxes. This interview focuses on her research for her PhD dissertation for which she was awarded the 2018 TRI Award for best PhD thesis in the field of terrorism studies.
This episode is sponsored by IB Tauris. If you want a 35% discount on all books from the Middle-East and Politics sections of bloomsbury.com be sure to use the discount code TALKINGIBT19 at checkout.
If you or anyone you know is interested in doing an MSc in Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London be sure to visit rhul.ac.uk for more information.
In this episode John talks to Dr. Julia Pearce from Kings College London about her fascinating research on terrorism risk perception and risk communication.
If you want a 35% discount on the Middle East and Politics books from bloomsbury.com use the discount code TALKINGIBT19.
Also be sure to have a look at the new MSc in Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London. More information can be found here:https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/postgraduate/law/terrorism-and-counter-terrorism-studies/
in this week's episode John talks to James Khalil.James is one of the authors of the RUSI report Deradicalisation and Disengagement in Somalia. In this episode they talk about the findings of this report and how their potential application. The full report can be downloaded from https://rusi.org/sites/default/files/20190104_whr_4-18_deradicalisation_and_disengagement_in_somalia_web.pdf
Thanks to IB Tauris you can receive a 35% discount on all Middle East Politics books from bloomsbury.com using the discount code TALKINGIBT19.
In this episode John talks to Daniel Koehler, the director of the GermanInstitute on Radicalization and Deradicalization Studies (GIRDS). Daniel is widely considered to be one of the world leading experts in relation to radicalisation and deradicalisation. In this episode they concentrate on his extensive deradicalisation research.
This episode is sponsored by I.B. Tauris. For a 35% discount from bloomsbury.com in their Middle East and politics books use the discount code TALKINGIBT19
In today's episode John talks to Dr. Raquel DaSilva about a range of topics. Included this chat are topics such as the role of narratives, critical terrorism studies, and Portuguese terrorism.
Thanks to IB Tauris for their continued sponsorship. For 35% discount on all books in then Politics and Middle East section of bloomsbury.com just use the discount code TALKINGIBT19
In today's episode John talks to Dr. Michael J. Williams, of the American University in the Emirates, about the need for a more scientific approach to developing and assessing CVE programmes.
Thanks as always to IB Tauris for their sponsorship of the podcast. For 35% off Politics and Middle East section of bloomsbury.com use the discount code TALKINGIBT19
This episode is sponsored by IB Tauris. If you want a 35% discount on all books from the Middle-East and Politics sections of bloomsbury.com be sure to use the discount code TALKINGIBT19 at checkout.
If you or anyone you know is interested in doing an MSc in Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London be sure to visit rhul.ac.uk for more information.
This episode is sponsored by IB Tauris. If you want a 35% discount on all books from the Middle-East and Politics sections of bloomsbury.com be sure to use the discount code TALKINGIBT19 at checkout.
If you or anyone you know is interested in doing an MSc in Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London be sure to visit rhul.ac.uk for more information.
In this week’s episode John talks to William Baldet and Sean Arbuthnot about their experiences as Prevent coordinators. In this discussion they tackle some of the criticisms of Prevent as well as illustrating what Prevent coordinator does.
If you want to find out more about Prevent and are in the London area then be sure to come along to the launch event of the MSc in Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Studies where there will be a panel on Prevent https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/school-of-law-london-lauch-event-tickets-9533712591
If you want 35% off all books in Middle East and Politics section of Bloomsbury.com just use the discount code TALKINGIBT19
This episode is sponsored by IB Tauris. If you want a 35% discount on all books from the Middle-East and Politics sections of bloomsbury.com be sure to use the discount code TALKINGIBT19 at checkout.
If you or anyone you know is interested in doing an MSc in Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London be sure to visit rhul.ac.uk for more information.
On May 15th 2019 we will be launch our new MSc in Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Studies. At the launch there will be keynote addresses by Lord Bernard Hogan Howe and Prof. Amina Memon. There will also be contributions on a range of topics from Prof. Nick Hardwick, Prof Anna Gupta, Dr. Anthony Richards, and the host of Talking Terror John Morrison.
If you are interested in coming along be sure to register on our Eventbrite page:https: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/school-of-law-london-launch-event-tickets-9533712591?utm_term=eventname_text
In this episode John talks to David Malet from American University about his research on foreign fighters. As well as looking at the modern day phenomenon the chat discusses what we can learn from the history of foreign fighters. The talk also deals with the key issue of recidivism, and asks the core question: do policy makers ever read academic articles?
If you are interested in the Royal Holloway, University of London, MSc in Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Studies be sure to come along to our launch event in Senate House London on May 15th, 2019. If you are interested in attending please register here:https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/school-of-law-london-lauch-event-tickets-9533712591?utm_term=eventname_text
Thanks to our sponsors at IB Tauris all Talking Terror listeners will receive a 35% discount on all books from the Middle East and Politics section of bloomsbury.com by using the discount code TALKINGIBT19. Happy reading!!
In this week's episode John talks to Tricia Bacon from American University about her research on why terrorists form international alliances. Prior to her employment at American University, Dr. Bacon worked on counterterrorism for over ten years at the Department of State, including in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, the Bureau of Counterterrorism, and the Bureau of Diplomatic Security. However, this interview focuses on her academic research since leaving the Department of State.
Anyone who is based in/able to get to London on May 15th is welcome to come along to the launch of the Royal Holloway University of London, MSc in Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Studies. This event will include talks by Baron Bernard Hogan-Howe, and Prof Amina Memon. There will also be a panel discussion including Professor Nick Hardwick, Prof Anna Gupta, Dr. Anthony Richards, and Dr. John Morrison. Anyone wishing to attending can register for free herehttps://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/school-of-law-london-lauch-event-tickets-9533712591?utm_term=eventname_text
Also anyone wanting the 35% discount on all Middle-East and Politics books from bloomsbury.com can use the discount code TALKINGIBT19 at checkout.
In this weeks episode John Morrison talks to Dr. Michael Kenney about his book The Islamic State in Britain:Radicalisation and Resilience in an Activist Network. Based on extensive ethnographic research this book gives a fascinating insight into al-Muhajiroun and their leadership and rank and file membership.
Thanks to our sponsors at IB Tauris all Talking Terror listeners can get a 35% discount on all Middle-East and Politics books from www.bloomsbury.com. Just use the discount code TALKINGIBT19 at checkout.
Also be sure to check out the new MSc in Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London. This programme will be offered full-time (1 year) and part-time (2 years) from September 2019 in our central London campus. For more information check out this linkhttps://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/postgraduate/law/terrorism-and-counter-terrorism-studies/
For all updates on Talking Terror be sure to follow us on Twitter @terror_podcast and @morrison_jf
In the first episode of Series 2 of Talking Terror (now sponsored by IB Tauris) John talks to Sinead O'Shea about her documentary 'A Mother Brings Her Son To Get Shot.' This documentary focuses on a mother's decision to bring her son to get shot by violent 'dissident' Irish Republicans. This discussion focuses on numerous key aspects of the documentary including the surprising role that humour plays within the film. For anyone who wants to see a screening of the movie there is a screening in the Curzon cinema in London on March 13th with some tickets still available.
For more information about Talking Terror be sure to follow @terror_podcast and morrison_jf on Twitter. Also if you are interested in doing an MSc in Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Studies there is a new programme being launched at Royal Holloway, University of London in September 2019. All information can be found at rhul.ac.uk
Anthony’s research focus has been on conceptualizing terrorism, UK counter-terrorism strategy, radicalization and extremism. He has also published on a wide range of other terrorist related themes including British public and Muslim attitudes towards both terrorism and counter-terrorism, homeland security, terrorism in Northern Ireland, and terrorism and sport (he was the lead editor for the volume Terrorism and the Olympics: Major event security and lessons for the future, Routledge, 2011). His book on Conceptualizing Terrorism was published with Oxford University Press in September 2015 and was nominated (by OUP) for the Political Studies Association’s best political science book of the year award (the W.J.M. Mackenzie prize). He has presented to a wide range of academic and policymaking audiences and has contributed to briefings on terrorism and radicalization at the Home Office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He spoke at the National Security Summit in October 2015 and he convened a panel of experts and academics to discuss ‘Interpretations of terrorism, radicalisation and extremism’ at British International Studies Association’s 2015 annual conference. He was also recently invited by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to submit input for an OHCHR report on Countering and Preventing Violent Extremism.
Some research that has influenced Anthony's career
Martha Crenshaw (2011) Explaining terrorism, causes, processes and consequences
Walter Reich (1990). Origins of terrorism: Psychologies, ideologies, theologies, states of mind.
Alex Schmid (2004) Terrorism – The Definitional Problem
Some of Anthony's key research.
Conceptualizing terrorism (2015)
From terrorism to ‘radicalization’ to ‘extremism’: counterterrorism imperative or loss of focus? (2015)
The problem with ‘radicalization’, the remit of ‘Prevent’, and the need to refocus on terrorism in the UK (2011)
Peter Neumann is a Professor of Security Studies at the War Studies Department, and serve as Director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR, www.icsr.info ), which he founded in early 2008.
He has authored or co-authored five books, including Old and New Terrorism, published by Polity Press in 2009; and The Strategy of Terrorism (with MLR Smith), published by Routledge in 2008. He is the author of numerous peer-reviewed articles, dealing with different aspects of terrorism and radicalization, especially ‘homegrown’ radicalization in Western countries. Shorter articles and opinion pieces have appeared in, among others, the New York Times, Der Spiegel, and the International Herald Tribune.
He has taught courses on terrorism, counterterrorism, intelligence, radicalization and counter-radicalization at King's College London and the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where he continues to serve as adjunct professor.
He holds an MA in Political Science from the Free University of Berlin, and a PhD in War Studies from King’s College London. Before becoming an academic, he worked as a radio journalist in Germany.
Research that influenced Peter:
Marc Sageman Understanding Terror Networks Quentin Wiktorowicz's Radical Islam Rising William Zellner Counter-cultures
Peter's own Research: Radicalised Criminal Pasts, Terrorist Futures with Rajan Basra Donald Trump's War on Terror (forthcoming)
Dr. Dawson is a Full Professor in the Department of Sociology and Legal Studies and the Department of Religious Studies. He has served as the Chair of both departments. He has published three books, four edited books, and sixty-nine academic articles and book chapters. Until 2008 most of his research was in the sociology of religion, in particular the study of new religious movements. Since then terrorism has become the primary focus of his research, in particular the process of radicalization leading to violence. In 2012 he co-founded the Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security and Society (TSAS). He is the current Project Director (see www.tsas.ca) of this partnership. TSAS operates with funds competitively awarded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Public Safety Canada, Defence Research and Development Canada, and other organizations. Dr. Dawson regularly makes invited presentations to a wide variety of government, academic, and public groups about various aspects of terrorism and counter-terrorism, and is frequently interviewed by the media on these topics. He also has been involved in the supervision of over thirty PhD students.
Three of Lorne's publications:
Lorne L. Dawson, “Discounting Religion in the Explanation of Homegrown Terrorism: A Critique,” in James R. Lewis, ed., Cambridge Companion to Religion and Terrorism, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017: 32-45.
Lorne L. Dawson, “Sketch of a Social Ecology Model for Explaining Homegrown Terrorist Radicalisation,” The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague 8, no.1 2017. DOI: 10.19165/2017.1.01.
Lorne L. Dawson and Amarnath Amarasingam, “Talking to Foreign Fighters: Insights into the Motivations for Hijrah to Syria and Iraq,” Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Vol. 40, No. 3, 2017: 191-210. DOI 10.1080/1057610X.2016.1274216.
Three publications that influenced Lorne:
Martha Crenshaw, “The Subjective Reality of the Terrorist: Ideological and Psychological Factors in Terrorism.” In Robert O. Slater and Michael Stohl, eds., Current Perspectives on International Terrorism. London: Macmillan Press, 1988: 12-46.
Quinton Wiktorowicz, Radical Islam Rising: Muslim Extremism in the West. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2005.
Simon Cotteem and Keith Hayward, “Terrorist (E)motives: The Existential Attractions of Terrorism.” Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 34 (12), 2011: 963-986.
Paul Taylor is a Professor of Psychology at Lancaster University, Professor of Human Interaction at Twente University, and director of the Centre for Evidence and Research on Security Threats (CREST).
He is interested in how people cooperate. Using experimental, archival and field research, he has studied both the fundamental behavioral and cognitive procsses that make human interaction possible and, more practically, the kinds of tactics and policies that promote peaceful resolutions.
Research that Influenced Paul
Abbott, A. (2001). Time matters: On theory and method. Chicago Press.
Canter, D. V., and Heritage, R. (1990). A multivariate model of sexual offence behaviour: developments in offender profiling. Journal of Forensic Psychiatry, 1, 185-212.
King, G. (1997). A solution to the ecological inference problem: Reconstructing individual behavior from aggregate data. Princetown University Press.
Paul's Own Key Research
Donohue, W. A., & Taylor, P. J. (2003). Testing the role effect in terrorist negotiations. International Negotiation, 8, 527-547.
Jacques, K., & Taylor, P. J. (2013). Myths and realities of female-perpetrated terrorism. Law and Human Behavior, 37, 35-44.
Prentice, S., Taylor, P. J., Rayson, P., Hoskins, A., & O’Loughlin, B. (2011). Analyzing the semantic content and persuasive composition of extremist media: A case study of texts produced during the Gaza conflict. Information Systems Frontiers, 13, 61-73.
Taylor, P. J., Jacques, K., Giebels, E., Levine, M., Best, R., Winter, J., & Rossi, G. (2008). Analysing forensic processes: Taking time into account. Issues in Forensic Psychology, 8, 45-57.
Julie Chernov Hwang is an associate professor of political science and international relations in the Center for People, Politics and Markets at Goucher College. She is the author of Why Terrorists Quit: The Disengagement of Indonesian Jihadists, published by Cornell University Press in 2018; Peaceful Islamist Mobilization in the Muslim World: What Went Right, published by Palgrave Press in 2009; and the co-editor of Islamist Parties and Political Normalization in the Muslim World, published by University of Pennsylvania Press in 2014. Her articles have been published in Terrorism and Political Violence, Asian Survey, Asia-Pacific Issues, Southeast Asia Research, and Nationalism and Ethnic Politics. Her special issue of Terrorism and Political Violence, entitled “Pathways into Terrorism: Understanding Entry and Support for Terrorism in Asia,” is forthcoming in 2018. Her new research project examines the pathways to entry into Southeast Asian Islamist extremist groups.
Research that has influenced Julie 1. Tore Bjorgo. “Processes of Disengagement from Violent Groups on the Extreme Right.” In Leaving Terrorism Behind. Eds. Tore Bjorgo and John Horgan. London: Routledge. 2009. 2. John Horgan. Walking Away from Terrorism: Accounts of Disengagement from Radical and Extremist Movements. London: Routledge. 2009. 3. Solahudin. Roots of Indonesian Terrorism. Ithaca: Cornell. 2013. 4. Daniel Koehler. Understanding Deradicalization. London: Routledge. 2017
Some of Julie’s Own Research:
- Julie Chernov Hwang. Why Terrorists Quit: The Disengagement of Indonesian Jihadists. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. 2018.
- Julie Chernov Hwang and Kirsten Schulze, “Why They Join: Pathways into Indonesian Jihadist Organizations.” in Pathways into Terrorism: Understanding Entry and Support for Terrorism in Asia. Special issue of Terrorism and Political Violence. Ed. Julie Chernov Hwang. Forthcoming 2018.
- Julie Chernov Hwang. "The Disengagement of Indonesian Jihadists: Understanding the Pathways Terrorism and Political Violence. 29: 2 (2017)
Aaron Winter holds a DPhil from Sussex, where his dissertation was on the far-right in post-civil rights America. He is Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice at UEL. His research is on right-wing extremism and terrorism, hate groups and hate crime, and racist and racialised violence. He has been interviewed by the BBC, CBC, LBC, The Times, The Telegraph, Vice and Gara. He is co-editor of Discourses and Practices of Terrorism: Interrogating Terror (2010), New Challenges for the EU Internal Security Strategy (2013) and Reflexivity in Criminological Research Experiences with the Powerful and the Powerless (2014). His most recent article is ‘Articulations of Islamophobia: From the Extreme to the Mainstream?’ in Ethnic and Racial Studies (co-authored with Aurelien Mondon). He is currently co-editing the books: Historical Perspectives on Organised Crime and Terrorism and Researching the Far Right: Theory, Method, Practice, as well as the Manchester University Press Series Racism, Resistance and Social Change. He is also part of the ESRC project Racism and Political Mobilisation and London Scholars project Step Up To Stop Hate.Aaron is also a Trustee of the British Sociological Association.
Some research that has influenced Aaron's career
Jessie Daniels (2016), White Lies: Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality in White Supremacist Discourse
Chip Berlet and Mathew Lyons (2000), Right-Wing Populism inAmerica: Too Close for Comfort
Backfire: How the Ku Klux Klan Helped the Civil Rights Movement by David Chalmers
Some of Aaron's key research
Anti-Abortion Extremism and Violence in the US (2013)
My Enemies Must Be Friends: The American Extreme Right, Conspiracy Theory, Islam and the MiddleEast (2014)
Articulations of Islamophobia: From the Extreme to the Mainstream?’ (2018)
Counter-Terrorism in the USA Prior to 9/11 (Forthcoming 2018)
Joshua D. Freilich is a member of the Criminal Justice Department at John Jay College. He is the Creator and co-Director of the United States Extremist Crime Database, an open source relational database of crimes committed by political extremists in the U.S. Freilich is the Vice Chair of the American Society of Criminology's Division on Terrorism & Bias Crimes. He has been a member of START (a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Center of Excellence) since 2006 and on its executive committee since 2010. Freilich is on the GTD’s advisory board and his research has been funded by DHS and the National Institute of Justice. His terrorism research focuses on the causes of and responses to terrorism. Recent works have looked at county-level variation in extremist violence, and the efficacy of interventions to counter this violence. Freilich’s other research looks at bias crimes, measurement issues, and environmental criminology and crime prevention.
Some research that has influenced Joshua's career
Ronald V. Clarke, R.V. & Graeme R. Newman (2006). Outsmarting the terrorists.
Gary LaFree, G. & Laura Dugan (2007). Introducing the Global Terrorism Database.
Brent L. Smith. (1994). Terrorism in America: Pipe bombs and pipe dreams.
Some of Joshua's key research
Comparing extremist perpetrators of suicide and non-suicideattacks in the United States. With William S. Parkin, Jeff Gruenewald and Steven M. Chermak (In press)
The future of terrorism research: A review essay. With Steven M. Chermak and Jeff Gruenewald (2015)
Investigating the applicability of macro-level criminology theory to terrorism: A county-level analysis. With Amy Adamczyk, Steven M. Chermak, Katharine Boyd and William S. Parkin (2015).
Introducing the United States Extremist Crime Database(ECDB). With Steven M. Chermak, Roberta Belli, Jeff Gruenewald and William S. Parkin (2014).
Maura Conway is a Professor of International Security in the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University (DCU) in Dublin, Ireland and Coordinator of VOX-Pol (voxpol.eu), a EU-funded project on violent online political extremism (voxpol.eu). Her principal research interests are in the area of terrorism and the Internet, including academic and media discourses on cyberterrorism, the functioning and effectiveness of violent political extremist online content, and violent online radicalisation. She is the author of over 40 articles and chapters in my specialist area(s). Maura's research has appeared in, among others, Current History, Media, War & Conflict, Parliamentary Affairs, and Social Science Computer Review. She has presented findings before the United Nations in New York, the Commission of the European Union in Brussels, the Club de Madrid, and elsewhere
Dr. Tore Bjørgo (born 1958) is professor at the University of Oslo and Director at “Center for Research on Extremism: Right-Wing Extremism, Hate Crime and Political Violence” (C‑REX). He is also Adjunct Professor at the Norwegian Police University College (PHS), where he has been Professor of Police Science (since 2004) and Research Director (2005-2007). Until the end of 2015, he was an adjunct research professor at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), where he was a (senior) research fellow from 1998 until 2004. He has also been a research associate at Leiden University (1991-1997). Since 2002, he has been coordinator of the Norwegian Consortium for Research on Terrorism and International Crime. During autumn 2014, he was a Fulbright scholar at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. He received his doctoral degree in Social Science from the University of Leiden in 1997 on the basis of a dissertation on racist and right-wing violence in Scandinavia. For his Cand. Polit degree in social anthropology (University of Oslo 1987) he did 10 months of ethnographic fieldwork in 1984, based in Jerusalem.
His research has covered a broad range of topics, often in combinations: political violence/terrorism, racism/right-wing extremism, deradicalisation and disengagement, criminal gangs and subcultures, crime prevention/counter-terrorism, police science, conflicts in the Middle East, and political communication.
Research that has Influenced Tore Umberto Eco: Semiotics and the Philosophy of Language (1984) / Name of the Rose (1980) (the second illustrates his semiotic theory in the format of a crime novel) Alex P. Schmid and Janni de Graaf (1982): Violence as Communication: Insurgent terrorism and the Western news media Helmut Willems (1993): Fremdenfeindlische Gewalt: Einstellungen, Täter, Konflikteskalation
Some of Tore's Key Research: Leaving Terrorism Behind: individual and Collective disengagement (2009, with John Horgan) Strategies for Preventing Terrorism / Preventing Crime (2013/2016) Vigilantism against Migrants and Minorities (an ongoing book project
Daniel Byman is a Professor and Senior Associate Dean at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a Senior Fellow at the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. Dr. Byman has served as a Professional Staff Member with both the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States (“The 9-11 Commission”) and the Joint 9/11 Inquiry Staff of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. He has also worked as the Research Director of the Center for Middle East Public Policy at the RAND Corporation and as an analyst of the Middle East for the U.S. intelligence community. Dr. Byman has written widely on a range of topics related to terrorism, international security, and the Middle East. His publications have appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, International Security, and numerous other scholarly, policy, and popular journalsHis books include Deadly Connections: States that Sponsor Terrorism (Cambridge 2005) and A High Price: The Triumphs and Failures of Israeli Counterterrorism (Oxford, 2011). His latest book is Al Qaeda, the Islamic State, and the Global Jihadist Movement: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford, 2015). Dr. Byman received his BA in religion from Amherst College and his Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Research that influenced Daniel's career
Fouad Ajami (1986) The Vanished Imam: Musa al Sadr and the Shia of Lebanon
Bruce Hoffman (1998) Inside Terrorism
Alan Cullinson (2004) Inside Al Qaeda's Hard Drive
Some of Daniel's key research
A High Price: The Triumphs and Failures of Israeli Counterterrorism (2013)
Al Qaeda, the Islamic State, and the Global Jiahdist Movement (2015)
Deadly Connections: States that Sponsor Terrorism (2005)
Joel Busher is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations (CTPSR), Coventry University. His research examines, 1) the social ecology of political violence and anti-outsider politics, and 2) the implementation of counter-terrorism policy and its societal impacts.
His work centres on the micro- and meso-level processes of collective action – the rituals that shape and comprise our everyday lives; the cognitive and moral orders that we make, break and patch together again; and the emotional rules and rhythms of our lives – and how these give rise to, exacerbate or mitigate divisive social relations.
In his work on anti-minority mobilisations he addresses questions about how and why people become involved in anti-minority protest, and what sustains, energises or undermines such protests. His book, The Making of Anti-Muslim Protest: Grassroots Activism in the English Defence League (Routledge) was joint winner of the British Sociological Association’s Philip Abrams Memorial Prize, 2016. His other current research interests include: the processes of interactive escalation, non-escalation and de-escalation between movements, counter-movements and the state; the implementation of the Prevent duty in schools and colleges in England and Wales; and how Brexit is playing out in British ‘expat’ communities living in Spain.
Some research that has influenced Joel's career Kathleen M. Blee (2012). Democracy inthe Making: How Activist Groups Form.
Deborah B. Gould (2009). MovingPolitics: Emotion and ACT UP’s Fight Against AIDS.
Roger Hewitt (2005). White Backlash and the Politics of Multiculturalism
Some of Joel's key research What the Prevent duty means for schools and colleges in England: An analysis of educationalists’ experiences. With Tufyal Choudhury, Paul Thomas, P. and Gareth Harris (2017)
The Making of Anti-Muslim Protest: Grassroots Activism in the English Defence League. (2016)
Micro Moral Worlds of Contentious Politics: A Reconceptualization of Radical Groups and Their Intersections with One Another and the Mainstream. With John F. Morrison (In Press)
Daniela I. Pisoiu completed her PhD study at the University of St Andrews – School of International Relations and the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence on the topic of Islamist radicalisation processes in Germany, France and Austria and acted as tutor within the Certificate in Terrorism Studies Programme. Between 2005 and 2006 she was a Fulbright junior scholar at the University of Cincinnati, where she also carried out a research project on the integration and marginalisation of Muslim minorities in several European countries, having been awarded a graduate enrichment award from the Charles Phelps Taft Research Center. Before that she obtained a Diploma and Master degrees from the Diplomatic Academy and University of Vienna in the areas of EU Studies and International Relations. She also specialised in legal aspects of human and civil rights at the University of Geneva and the Babes-Bolyai University in Romania.
Research that Influenced Daniela: Max Taylor The Terrorist John Horgan The Psychology of Terrorism Donatella Della Porta Social Movements, Political Violence, and the State
Daniela's Key Research: Theories of Terrorism: An Introduction Islamist Radicalisation in Europe: An Occupational Change Process Subcultural Theory Applied to Jihadi and Right-Wing Radicalization in Germany
Donald Holbrook is a Visiting Fellow at ICCT. He became a lecturer at the Department of Politics, Philosophy, and Religion at Lancaster University, UK, in September 2016. Prior to that he was Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence, University of St Andrews, which he joined in 2008.
His research has focused mostly on beliefs, ideas, and media in the context of terrorism and political violence, especially on how terrorists interact with published media and social media and how this engagement has changed over time. He has published on a wide variety of topics relating to these themes, including a book, edited volumes, journal articles, as well as reports and other deliverables for counterterrorism practitioners and policymakers. He currently manages a large-scale research project dissecting ways in which individuals involved in terrorism use different types of media, developing case studies and thematic analyses of different ideological milieus (including far-right and Islamist extremism), different types of activity (including domestic terrorism and ‘foreign fighters’) and different organisational contexts (such as groups versus lone actors), as well as comparisons across sections.
Research that has influenced Donald: Benford, R & Snow, D. (2000) ‘Framing Processes and Social Movements: An Overview and Assessment’ in Annual Review of Sociology (Vol. 26., pp. 611-639) à or indeed other material from them on collective action frames
Max Taylor & John Horgan (2006) ‘A Conceptual Framework for Addressing Psychological Process in the Development of the Terrorist’ Terrorism and Political Violence (18: 4).
Political Terrorism: A New Guide To Actors, Authors, Concepts, Data Bases, Theories, And Literature, Alex P. Schmid, Albert J. Jongman. 1988, Transaction Publishers à or other Schmid work on the essence of terrorism
Donald's Key Work:
The Al-Qaeda Doctrine: The Framing and Evolution of the Leadership’s Public Discourse (Bloomsbury, 2014) & Al-Qaeda 2.0: A Critical Reader (Hurst, 2017) I’d take these together as one is essentially a supplement to the other.
‘What Types of Media Do Terrorists Collect? An Analysis of Religious, Political, and Ideological Publications Found in Terrorism Investigations in the UK’, ICCT (September 2017)
‘Designing and Applying an ‘Extremist Media Index’, Perspectives on Terrorism (9:5, 2015)
Richard English is Professor of Politics at Queen's University Belfast, where he is also Distinguished Professorial Fellow in the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice. During 20111-16 he was Wardlaw Professor of Politics in the School of International Relations, and Director of the Handa Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV), at the University of St. Andrews. He is the author of eight books, including Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA (2003), Terrorism: How to Respond (2009), and Does Terrorism Work? A History (2016). He is a frequent media commentator on terrorism, and is a Fellow of the British Academy, a Member of the Royal Irish Academy, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and Honorary Fellow of Keble College Oxford, and an Honorary Professor at the university of St. Andrews.
Research that has influenced Richard's career
Martha Crenshaw (2011), Explaining Terrorism
Charles Townshend (1984), Political Violence in Ireland
Eric Hobsbawm (1997), On History
Some of Richard's key research
Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA (2003)
Terrorism: How to Respond (2009)
Does Terrorism Work? A History (2016)
Richard Jackson is Professor of Peace Studies and Director of the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Otago, New Zealand. He is known as one of the founding scholars of the field of Critical Terrorism Studies, and has published a number of books, articles and chapters on the critical study of terrorism. He is the founding editor and current editor-in-chief of the journal, Critical Studies on Terrorism, and his latest book is The Routledge Handbook of Critical Terrorism Studies (editor, Routledge, 2016). His current research focuses on nonviolent responses to terrorism.
Research that has influenced Richard's career
Joseba Zulaika and William Douglass (1996) Terror and Taboo: The Follies, Fables, and Faces of Terrorism.
David Campbell (1998). Writing Security: United States Foreign Policy and the Politics of Identity, Revised edition
Lisa Stampnitzky (2013). Disciplining Terror: How Experts Invented “Terrorism”
Some of Richard's key research
Writing on the War on Terrorism. (2005)
Constructing enemies: ‘Islamic Terrorism’ in Political and Academic Discourse. (2007)
The Epistemological Crisis of Counterterrorism. (2015)
Petter Nesser is a senior researcher at FFI’s Terrorism Research Group. He is trained in the areas of Social Science, Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic at the University of Oslo (UiO) and The American University in Cairo (AUC).
Dr Nesser has conducted extensive research on militant Islamism (jihadism) in Europe for more than a decade while focusing on motivational factors, recruitment and radicalization processes.
He has communicated research findings in Norway and internationally, through academic conferences, speeches before public sector and NGOs and the media.
April 10, 2018, was the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement. The Agreement is seen as the cornerstone of the existing peace in Northern Ireland.
Our friends in the Anthill podcast interviewed a number of experts about the Agreement, it's key actors, and where it stands today. Within this podcast they interviewed a range of experts on this topic, including the Talking Terror host John Morrison.
Noémie Bouhana is Senior Lecturer in Security and Crime Science at UCL, where she leads the Counter-Terrorism Research Group and convenes the MSc in Countering Organised Crime and Terrorism. She holds a BA in Political Studies from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques of Lyon, an MA in Political Science from Université Jean Moulin Lyon III, and an MPhil and PhD in Criminology from the University of Cambridge. Most recently, Noémie led the €2.9M EU FP7 PRIME project, an international, multidisciplinary study on lone actor radicalisation and attack behaviour. At present, she is Principal Investigator of the $1M comparative study "The Social Ecology of Radicalisation", funded by the US DoD Minerva Initiative. She is also a co-Investigator on large grants funded by EU H2020 and CREST. Previous research was funded by DSTL, Home Office OSCT, MOD Counter-Terrorism Science and Technology Centre, EPSRC and NIJ. On the fundamental side, Noémie's work is concerned with the social ecological processes involved in the emergence and maintenance of radicalising settings (the "where" of radicalisation, as opposed to the "why"), the role that these settings play, through mechanisms of selection and exposure, in the development of an individual propensity for terrorism, as well as the mechanisms which underpin individual vulnerability to moral change. On the applied side, she is interested in the development of risk analysis instruments, which go beyond reliance on unstable risk factors and indicators. Her approach to the study of terrorism is informed chiefly by criminological, epidemiological and systemic thinking, which is reflected in the research that most influenced her to date.
Research that has influenced Noémie's career Per-Olof H. Wikstrom and Robert J. Sampson (ed.) (2006). The Explanation of Crime: Context, Mechanisms and Development.
J.M. Mc Gloin, C.J. Sullivan and L.W. Kennedy (eds.) (2011). When Crime Appears: The Role of Emergence. Sandro Galea, Matthew Riddle and George A Kaplan (2010). Causal thinking and complex system approaches in epidemiology.
Some of Noémie's key research Al-Qaeda-Influenced Radicalisation. With Per-Olof H. Wikstrom (2011)
PRIME: A Lone Actor Extremism Risk Analysis Framework. With Amy Thornton, Emily Corner, Stefan Malthaner, Lasse Lindekilde, Bart Schuurman and Gali Perry (2017)
Preventing Radicalization in the UK: Expanding the Knowledge-Base on the Channel Programme. With Amy Thornton (2017)
Michael Boyle is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at La Salle University in Philadelphia. He was previously a Lecturer in International Relations and Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV) at the University of St. Andrews. He is also an alumnus of the Political Science Department at La Salle.
His research interests are on terrorism and political violence, with particular reference to the strategic use of violence in insurgencies and civil wars. He has also published more broadly on security studies and American foreign policy. His writings have appeared in a range of scholarly journals and popular outlets, including regular columns for the Guardian (UK). His most recent book, Violence after War: Explaining Instability in Post-Conflict States, was published by Johns Hopkins University Press in March 2014.
Research That Influenced Michael's Career
Paul Wilkinson, Terrorism and the Liberal State (New York: NYU Press, 1977)
Charles Tilly, The Politics of Collective Violence (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003).
Stathis Kalyvas, The Logic of Violence in Civil Wars (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006).
Some of Michael's Key Research
Violence after War: Explaining Instability in Post-Conflict States (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014).
“The Costs and Consequences of Drone Warfare” International Affairs 89:1 (2013)
“Bargaining, Fear and Denial: Explaining Violence Against Civilians in Iraq 2004-2007,” Terrorism and Political Violence 21: 2 (2009), p. 261-287.
Victor Asal currently serves as Chair of the Department of Public Administration and an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science. He received his PhD from the University of Maryland, College Park. He is also, along with R. Karl Rethemeyer, the co-director of the Project on Violent Conflict. Dr. Asal is affiliated with the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), a Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence. Dr. Asal’s research focuses on the choice of violence by nonstate organizational actors as well as the causes of political discrimination by states against different groups such as sexual minorities, women and ethnic groups. In addition, Prof. Asal has done research on the impact of nuclear proliferation and on the pedagogy of simulations. Asal has been involved in research projects funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, The Department of Homeland Security, The National Science Foundation, and The Office of Naval Research.
Some research that influenced Victor's career.
Martha Crenshaw (1981). The Causes of Terrorism.
Mark Juergensmeyer (2003). Terror in the mind of God: The global rise of religious violence.
Ted Robert Gurr (2000). People vs. states.
Some of Victor's key research
The nature of the beast: Organizational structures and the lethality of terrorist attacks. With R. Karl Rethemeyer (2008)
Gender ideologies and forms of contentious mobilization in the Middle East. With Richard Legault, Ora Szeleky, and Jonathan Wilkenfeld (2013)
A Shot Not Taken: Teaching About the Ethics of Political Violence 1, 2. With Marcus Schulzke (2012)
James Forest is Professor in the School of Criminology and Justice Studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He is also a Visiting Professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, and a Senior Fellow at the U.S. Joint Special Operations University. He previously served on the faculty of the United States Military Academy (2001-2010), six of those years as Director of Terrorism Studies within the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. Dr. Forest has published 20 books and dozens of journal articles, and is co-editor of the international scholarly journal Perspectives on Terrorism.
Research that has influenced his career
Walter Reich (1998), Origins of Terrorism
Bruce Hoffman (1998), Inside Terrorism
Brian Jackson, et al. (2005), Aptitude for Destruction
Some of his Key Publications
Forest, James. J.F. (2015) Essentials of Counterterrorism. Westport, CT: Praeger. ISBN: 9781440832833
Idler, Annette I. and Forest, James J.F. (2015) “Behavioral Patterns among (Violent) Non-State Actors.” Stability: International Journal of Security and Development 4(1): 2 (January). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/sta.er
Forest, James. J.F. (2013) Intersections of Crime and Terror. London: Routledge. ISBN: 9780415639613.
Mary Beth Altier is a Clinical Assistant Professor at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs. Dr. Altier received her PhD from Princeton University and then worked as a postdoc on a project on terrorist disengagement, re-engagement, and recidivism at the Pennsylvania State University. She’s also conducted postdoctoral research on the stability of democracies formed during different wartime settings. Dr. Altier is currently working on a book manuscript based upon her dissertation, which won the American Political Science Association’s Ernst B. Haas Award in 2013. The project examines support for political parties associated with terrorists groups in relatively free and fair elections. She is also the 2015 recipient of the American Political Science Association’s Organized Section on European Politics and Society’s Best Paper Award and has published her work in a number of journals including the Journal of Peace Research, Security Studies, and Terrorism and Political Violence.
Research that has influenced Mary Beth's career
Kalyvas, S. (2006) The Logic of Violence in Civil War
Wilkinson, S. (2004) Votes and Violence: Electoral Competition and Ethnic Riots in India
Rusbult, Caryl (1980) Commitment and satisfaction in romantic associations. Journalof Experimental Psychology
Some of Mary Beth's key Research
Voting for Violence (2011)
Turning Away from Terrorism: Lessons from Psychology, Sociology and Criminology. With Christian N. Thoroughgood and John G. Horgan (2014)
Why They Leave: An Analysis of Terrorist Disengagement Events from Eighty-Seven Autobiographical Accounts. With Emma Leonard Boyle, Neil D. Shortland and John G. Horgan
In today's special episode of Talking Terror John Morrison speaks to the Guardian journalist Jason Burke. In the discussion they talk about Jason's journalistic career which has seen him become one of the world leading experts on Islamic militancy, and Al Qaeda and IS specifically. While the chat focuses on his journalistic career broadly it primarily focuses on his books:
Al Qaeda: The True Story of Radical Islam, Al Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror, On the Road to Kandahar: Travels Through Conflict in the Islamic World, The 9/11 Wars, and The New Threat: The Past, Present, and Future of Islamic Militancy
Mia Bloom is Professor of Communication at Georgia State University. She conducts ethnographic field research in Europe, the Middle East and South Asia and speaks eight languages. She has authored several books and articles on terrorism and violent extremism including Dying to Kill: The Allure of Suicide Terror (2005), Living Together After Ethnic Killing [with Roy Licklider] (2007) and Bombshell: Women and Terror (2011). She is a former term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and has held research or teaching appointments at Princeton, Cornell, Harvard and McGill Universities.
Under the auspices of the Minerva Research Initiative (MRI) of Department of Defense, Bloom is currently conducting research with John G. Horgan on how children become involved in terrorist organizations. Bloom and Horgan’s findings will be published in a book for Cornell University Press entitled Small Arms: Children and Terror (2016). Bloom has a PhD in political science from Columbia University, a Masters in Arab Studies from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and a Bachelors from McGill University in Russian, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies.
Research that Influenced Mia
Albert Bandura Moral Disengagement David Rapoport Fear and Trembling Claire Sterling, The Terror Network
Mia's key Research Dying to Kill Bombshell Small Arms
In this special episode of Talking Terror John talks to Hugo Rosemont, the Director of Security and Resilience Sector at the ADS Group, and Ross Frenett the co-director and co-founder of Moonshot CVE. Their discussion looks at the role that the private sector has to play in both countering violent extremism and countering terrorism. Within this they talk about the advantages and disadvantages the private sector has in this role, and how it can work best with the public sector, and specifically academia.
In this second part of the Boko Haram special episode John talks to Hilary Matfess about the role which women play in Boko Haram. It assesses their role within the group as well as as targets of Boko Haram. This discussion is largely based around her recent book 'Women and the War on Boko Haram: Wives, Weapons, Witnesses' published by Zed books.
Dr Katherine E Brown is a lecturer in Islamic Studies at University of Birmingham, specialising in gender, jihad and counter-terrorism. Her research examines Muslim women's involvement in political violence, the role of gender in jihadist ideology, and the gendered impact of counter-terrorism policies and practices worldwide. This work engages directly with public debates on security, religion, and women's rights. She has published widely and is currently working on a monograph on anti-radicalization policies and gender. She is the Series Editor for the newly launched Routledge Focus Monograph Series: “Islam in Europe”. She is a member of the Muslim in Britain's Research Network and the UK Higher Education Academy's Islamic Studies Network. She is a lead academic board member of the European Union Radicalisation Awareness Network, run for practitioners in this field. Her expertise has also been sought by a number of academic, policy, government, and media outlets, in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Norway, and Austria. Including, for example, the 9/11 Memorial, the UN, and the European Parliament. In 2017 – 2018 she is consulting for UN Women on gender mainstreaming in countering violent extremism programmes. Recently she has given expert advice and testimony in the UK in a number of cases involving radicalisation.
Research that has influenced Katherine's career
Laura Sjoberg and Caron Gentry (2007) Mothers Monsters Whores
Talal Asad (1993) Genealogies of Religion
Saba Mahmood (2004) Politics of Piety: the Islamic Revival and the feminist subject
Some of Katherine's key research
ISIS as a Proto-State (forthcoming, 2018)
Gender and Anti-Radicalization: women and emerging counter-terrorism measures (2012)
Marginality as a Feminist Research Method in Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism (2015)
This is the first in a two part episode looking at the West African terrorist group Boko Haram. In this episode John talks to David Otto, the Director of TGS Intelligence and Security Consultants. Within the chat they discuss the history and origins of Boko Haram, the group's links with ISIS and the counter-terrorist efforts which have taken place locally, nationally, regionally and internationally.
Amarnath Amarasingam is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a Fellow at The George Washington University’s Program on Extremism, and Co-Directs a study of Western foreign fighters based at the University ofWaterloo. He is the author of Pain, Pride, and Politics: Sri Lankan Tamil Activism in Canada (2015). His research interests are in radicalization, terrorism, diaspora politics, post-war reconstruction, and the sociology ofreligion. He is the editor of Sri Lanka: The Struggle for Peace in the Aftermathof War (2016), The Stewart/Colbert Effect: Essays on the Real Impacts of Fake News (2011) and Religion and the New Atheism: A Critical Appraisal (2010). He is also the author of several peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, has presented papers at over 100 national and international conferences, and has written for The New York Times, Politico, The Atlantic, Vice News, Foreign Affairs, and War on the Rocks. He tweets at @AmarAmarasingam.
Some research that has influenced Amarnath's career
Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckman, T. (1967). The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge.
Anthony Giddens (1991). Modernity and Self-Identity: Self and Society in the Late Modern Age.
Ziad W. Munson (2009) The Making of Pro-Life Activists: How Social Movement Mobilization Works.
Some of Amarnath's key research
Pain, Pride, and Politics: Social Movement Activism and the Sri Lankan Tamil Diasporain Canada. (2015)
Talking to Foreign Fighters: Insights into the Motivations for Hijrah to Syria and Iraq. With Lorne L. Dawson (2016)
Where do ISIS Fighters Go When the Caliphate Falls? With Colin P. Clarke (2017)
Dr. Kumar Ramakrishna is a tenured Associate Professor and Head Policy Studies, as well as Coordinator of the National Security Studies Programme, in the Office of the Executive Deputy Chairman, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS). Prior to this appointment he was Head, Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS) in RSIS (2006-2015).
He co-edited The New Terrorism: Anatomy, Trends and Counter-Strategies (2002) as well as After Bali: The Threat of Terrorism in Southeast Asia (2004). His first single-authored book, Emergency Propaganda: The Winning of Malayan Hearts and Minds, 1948-1958 (2002) was described by the International History Review as “required reading for historians of Malaya, and for those whose task is to counter insurgents, guerrillas, and-terrorists”. His most recent book, Radical Pathways: Understanding Muslim Radicalization in Indonesia (2009) was identified by Perspectives on Terrorism in May 2012 as one of the top 150 books on terrorism and counter-terrorism as well as “an important and insightful case study on the pathways to extremism and violent jihad in Indonesia”. His two most recent books are Islamist Terrorism and Militancy in Indonesia: The Power of the Manichean Mindset (2015), Original Sin? Revising the Revisionist Critique of the 1963 Operation Coldstore in Singapore (2015) and Singapore Chronicles: Emergency (2016). He has served as a member of the Singapore Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) Resource Panel on Home Affairs and Law; the Board of Trustees, the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, the Board of Governors of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) Academy, and the Executive Committee of the Political Science Association (Singapore).
Research that has influenced Kumar's career
Walter Reich (1998) Origins of Terrorism: Psychologies, Ideologies, Theologies, States of Mind
Mark Juergensmeyer (2000) Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence
James Waller (2005), Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing
Some of Kumar's key research
Radical Pathways: Understanding Muslim Radicalization in Indonesia (2009).
The Growth of ISIS Extremism in Southeast Asia: Its Ideological and Cognitive Features – AndPossible Policy Responses (2017).
Understanding Youth Radicalization in the Age of ISIS: A Psychosocial Analysis (2016).
Dr. Gary LaFree is Director of START at the University of Maryland and a professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. He received his Ph.D. in sociology from Indiana University in 1979. LaFree is a fellow of the American Society of Criminology (ASC) and served as President of the ASC in 2005 to 2006. He has also served on the Executive Committee of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Crime, Law and Justice Committee and NAS’s Division of Behavioral and Economic Sciences and Education. He was named a Distinguished Scholar Teacher at the University of Maryland in 2012. Much of LaFree's research is related to understanding criminal violence, and he is the senior member of the team that created and now maintains the Global Terrorism Database.
Some research that has influenced Gary's career
Martha Crenshaw (1981) The causes of terrorism.
Ted Gurr (1970) Why men rebel
Clark McCauley and Sophia Moskalenko (2011). Friction: How radicalization happens to them and us.
David C. Rapoport. (2006) Terrorism: The fourth or religious wave.
Some of Gary's key research
Countering Terrorism: No Simple Solutions. With Martha Crenshaw (2017)
Handbook of the Criminology ofTerrorism. With Joshua Freilich (2017)
Putting Terrorism in Context: Insights from the Global Terrorism Database. With Laura Dugan and Erin Miller (2015)
In this week's episode John talks to Prof. John Horgan a Distinguished University Professor at the Global Studies Institute and Department of Psychology at Georgia State University. He has a PhD in applied psychology, and his research focuses on understanding psychological qualities of the pathways into, through, and out of terrorist behavior. His work is widely published, with books including The Psychology of Terrorism (published in over a dozen languages worldwide), Divided We Stand: The Strategy and Psychology of Ireland’s Dissident Terrorists; Walking Away from Terrorism, Leaving Terrorism Behind, and Terrorism Studies: A Reader. In 2017 he became Editor of the journal Terrorism and Political Violence and serves on the Editorial Boards of several further journals, including Legal and Criminological Psychology, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism and Journal of Strategic Security. He is a member of the Research Working Group of the FBI’s National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime. He has held positions at the University of Massachusetts (Lowell), Penn State and the University of St. Andrews, UK. Professor Horgan’s research has been featured in such venues as The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, Vice News, CNN, Rolling Stone Magazine, Nature, Scientific American and the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Research that has influenced John's career
Max Taylor (1988). The Terrorist.
Paul Wilkinson and Alastair .M. Stewart (Eds.) (1987). Contemporary Research on Terrorism.
Joby Warrick (2015). Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS.
Some of John's key research
Psychology and Terrorism: Introduction tothe Special Issue. American Psychologist. (2017)
From Profiles to Pathways and Roots to Routes: Perspectives from Psychology on Radicalization into Terrorism. (2008)
Interviewing the Terrorists: Reflectionson Fieldwork and Implications for Psychological Research (2012)
Dr. Jeffrey Stevenson Murer explores the problems of group violence, inter-communal conflict, and political terrorism through the lens of collective identity formation. Presently he is the Senior Lecturer on Collective Violence in the School of International Relations and a Research Fellow to the Handa Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St. Andrews. In 2006, he edited with Professor Derek Reveron Flashpoints in the War on Terror, and has published in numerous journals including Terrorism and Political Violence, Journal for Terrorism Research, and the International Journal of Politics, Culture and Society. His forthcoming book, Repeating Hate (Palgrave 2018), explores far-right political extremism and violence in Central Europe, and with Dr. Clare Bielby, he is the co-editor of another forthcoming volume Perpetrating Selves: Performing Identity, Doing Violence (Palgrave 2018). As well as being a Scottish Institute for Policing Research Lecturer, in 2017 Murer became a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts.
Some research that has influenced Jeffrey's career
Vamik Volkan (1988) The Need for Enemies and Allies: From Clinical Practice to International Relationships
Julia Kristeva (1991) Strangers to Ourselves
Etienne Balibar and Immanuel Wallerstein (1991) Race, Nation, Class: Ambiguous Identities
Some of Jeffrey's key research
Understanding collective violence: The communicative and performative qualities of violence in acts of belonging (2014)
Ethnic Conflict: An Overview of Analyzing and Framing Communal Conflicts from Comparative Perspectives. (2012)
The Emergence of a Lumpen-consumerate: The Aesthetics of Consumption and Violence in the English Riots of 2011 (2015)
Constructing the Enemy-Other: Anxiety, Trauma and Mourning in the Narratives of Political Conflict. (2009)
Happy new year from all at Talking Terror!
In the first episode of 2018 John talks to Prof. Neil Ferguson, a Professor of Political Psychology at Liverpool Hope University and a Visiting Research Fellow to the Changing Character of War Programme at Pembroke College, Oxford. His research has focused on political conflict and its psychological implications since he studied towards his PhD at the University of Ulster. His research focuses on processes of engagement, involvement and disengagement from politically motivated violence focusing on paramilitary groups based in Northern Ireland. He has published in psychological and politics journals, contributed to a number of edited volumes and offered critical advice to various governments, security agencies and NGOs on issues around radicalization, terrorism and counter-terrorism.
In this episode he speaks about the following publications which he has produced, and those which have influenced him. Some research that has influenced Neil's career Andrew Silke (1998). Cheshire-cat logic: The recurring theme of terrorist abnormality in psychological research.
Jerold M. Post, Ehud Sprinzak, and Laurita M. Denny (2003). The terrorists in their own words:Interviews with 35 incarcerated Middle Eastern terrorists.
Jeff Victoroff (2005). The Mind of the Terrorist: A Review and Critique of Psychological Approaches.
Some of Neil's key research Understanding Radicalization and Engagement in Terrorism through Religious Conversion Motifs. With Eve Binks (2015)
Leaving violence behind: Disengaging from politically motivated violence in Northern Ireland. With Mark Burgess and Ian Hollywood (2015)
Crossing the Rubicon: Deciding to Become a Paramilitary in Northern Ireland. With Mark Burgess and Ian Hollywood (2008)
(Apologies for the, at times, poor sound quality in this episode)
In today's episode John speaks to James Piazza, a Liberal Arts Professor of Political Science at The Pennsylvania State University. He is the author of over 30 articles on terrorism, counterterrorism and political violence. His research uses a quantitative, data-driven approach to examine the political, economic, social, institutional and religious-cultural forces that drive terrorist activity globally. Some topics he has examined in his research include the relationship between poverty, socioeconomic factors and terrorism, terrorism and political regime type, human rights abuses and terrorism, minorities and terrorism, religion and terrorism, the drug trade and natural resources and terrorism. His work has appeared in a variety of journals including the Journal of Politics, the American Political Science Review, International Organizations, the Journal of Conflict Resolution, the Journal of Peace Science, International Studies Quartelry, Comparative Political Studies, Public Choice and Terrorism and Political Violence. At Penn State, Piazza teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on terrorism.
The research discussed are:
Some research that has influenced Jim's career
Ervand Abrahamian (1989) Radical Islam: The Iranian Mojahedin.
Robert Pape (2003) The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism.
Alan Krueger and Jitka Maleckova (2003) Education, Poverty and Terrorism: Is There a Causal Connection.
Some of Jim's key research
Poverty, Minority Economic Discrimination and Domestic Terrorism. (2011)
Autocracies and Terrorism. With Matthew C. Wilson (2013)
Repression and Terrorism: A Cross-National Empirical Analysis of Types of Repression and Domestic Terrorism. (2017)
In this week's episode John speaks to Paul Gill from the Department of Security and Crime Science at University College London. In this episode he talks about his research on lone actor terrorism, the Provisional IRA, applied security studies, and the psychology of terrorism. He also speaks about those pieces of research which influenced thinking about and approach to the study of terrorism.
In the episode Paul talks about the following pieces:
Research that has influenced Paul's career
Robert A. Fein, & Bryan Vossekuil (1999). Assassination in the United States: An operational study of recent assassins, attackers, and near-lethal approachers.
Jeff Victoroff (2005). The mind of the terrorist: A review and critique of psychological approaches.
John Horgan (2004). The psychology of terrorism.
Some of Paul's key research
Lethal Connections: The Determinants of Network Connections in theProvisional Irish Republican Army, 1970-1998. With Jeongyoon Lee, Karl Rethemeyer, John Horgan, and Victor Asal (2014)
Across the Universe? A Comparative Analysis of Violent Radicalization Across Three Offender Types with Implications for Criminal Justice Training and Education. A Report for the National Institute of Justice. With John Horgan, Noemie Bouhana, James Silver and Emily Corner (2016)
Lone-Actor Terrorists: A Behavioural Analysis. (2015)
In this week's episode John speaks to Orla Lynch from University College Cork about her research and influences. In this they speak about child soldiers, the importance of researching victims of terrorism and the role of psychology in understanding terrorist involvement. In the episode Orla discusses the following texts:
Research that influenced Orla’s career
Max Taylor and John Horgan (2000) The Future of Terrorism.
Paul Wilkinson (2000) Terrorism Versus Democracy
Timothy Knatchbull (2009). From a clear blue sky. Surviving the Mountbatten bomb.
Some of Orla’s key research
Terrorism and Psychological Processes. (Forthcoming 2018)
British Muslim Youth and the Construction of the Other. (2013)
Child returnees from Conflict Zones. With Sharon Lambert (2016)
In this week's episode John returns to the interviewers chair and interviews Dr. Kurt Braddock a lecturer and researcher in the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences at Penn State. Dr. Braddock leverages communication theory to explore the persuasive effectiveness of terrorist groups' strategic messages (particularly narratives) intended to recruit or radicalize audiences. He also develops theory-based guidelines for developing strategic messages that counter the radicalization process. His work has been published in several communication and terrorism journals, including Communication Monographs, Terrorism and Political Violence, and Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. Dr. Braddock has performed research for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Office of Naval Research, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the British government.
Research that has influenced Kurt's career
John Horgan (2008). From Profiles to Pathways and Roots to Routes: Perspectives from Psychology on Radicalization into Terrorism
Jerold Post, Ehud Sprinzak, and Laurita Denny (2003). The terrorists in their own words: Interviews with 35 incarcerated Middle Eastern terrorists
Max Taylor and John Horgan (2006). A conceptual framework for addressing psychological process in the development of the terrorist.
Some of Kurt's key research
Towards a guide for constructing and disseminating counternarratives to reduce support forterrorism. With John Horgan (2015).
Meta-analytic evidence for the persuasive effect of narratives on beliefs, attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. With James Price Dillard (2016)
Treatment approaches for terrorists and extremists. (Forthcoming)
In today's 'special' episode the tables have been turned. John Morrison has left the host's chair, replaced by Andrew Silke, and for one episode only is the guest on the show. In this interview John discusses how his early interest in sports psychology still influences him today, his research on splits in Irish Republicanism, and his current focus on the role of trust is the psychology of terrorism. In the discussion he discusses how the works of John Horgan, Albert Hirschman and others have influenced his way of thinking about terrorist organisations and the psychology of terrorism as a whole.
The publications which influenced John were:
John Horgan (2002). The Psychology of Terrorism (First edition)
David McKittrick and Eamon Mallie (2001). Endgame in Ireland
Albert O. HIrschman (1970). Exit, Voice and Loyalty
John's own research which he focuses on are:
The Origins and Rise of Dissident Irish Republicanism (2013)
Trust in Me: Allegiance Choices in a Post-Split Terrorist Movement (2016)
The Trustworthy Terrorist (2017)
In this week's episode John speaks to Prof. Jorge Lasmar of PUC Minas Brazil. In their chat they discuss a range of issues including counter-terrorism in Brazil, the global war on terror, and the influence which a G.K. Chesterton novel had on his career.
Due to technical issues during the first recording this episode includes part which was recorded in person, and another part over Skype. Therefore there is a change in sound quality about half way through. However, we are sure that this won't detract from a really interesting chat.
In this episode Jorge discusses the following texts which influenced him: Walter Reich (1990). Origins of terrorism: Psychologies, ideologies, theologies, states of mind.
Gilbert Guillame (1976). Terrorisme international
Thomas Schelling (1981) The strategy of conflict
G. K. Chesterton (2010) The man who was Thursday
He also discussed the following pieces of his own research:
Managing great powers in the post-Cold War world: old rules new game? The case of the global war on terror. (2012)
The global war on terror, jus ad bellum, and normative change in international law. (2011)
When the shoe doesn't fit: Brazilian approaches to terrorism and counter-terrorism in the post 9/11 era. (Fortcoming 2017)
Passaporte para o terror. Os voluntários do Estado Islâmico.With Guilherme Damasceno Fonesca (2017) (In Portugese).
In this week's episode John talks to Dr. Emily Corner from University College London. In their chat they discuss Emily's research on the psychology of terrorism, and the role which mental health may or may not play in terrorist involvement. As always the discussion is based around research which has influenced Emily's career, and her own key research. The pieces discussed in this episode are: Some research that has influenced Emily's career
Paul Gill, John Horgan, and Paige Deckert (2014) Bombing alone: Tracing the motivations and antecedent behaviors of lone‐actor terrorists
John Monahan et al (2001). Rethinking Risk Assessment: The Macarthur Study of Mental Disorder and Violence
Jeff Victoroff (2005) The mind of the terrorist: A review and critique of psychological approaches
Some of Emily's key research
A false dichotomy? Mental illness and lone-actor terrorism. With Paul Gill (2015)
Mental health disorders and the terrorist: A research note probing selection effects and disorder prevalence. With Paul Gill and Oliver Mason (2016)
There and back again: The study of mental disorder and terrorist involvement. With Paul Gill (2017)
This week John speaks to Prof. Max Taylor, a visiting professor at the Department of Security and Crime Sciences at University College London and the co-editor of Terrorism and Political Violence.Prior to his move to UCL he was the Director of the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St. Andrews, before which he was the head of the Department of Applied Psychology at University College Cork. For most of our listeners Max would be most widely known as a prolific and thought provoking specialist on the psychology of terrorism. However, his background also includes ground-breaking research on capacity building for disadvantaged children living in conflict zones, and the combatting of paedophile information networks in Europe. Within the realm of terrorism studies Max has published on a wide range of topics from evolutionary psychology to affordance, Irish Republicanism to Islamic fundamentalism. He is also the author of some of the most influential books on the psychology of terrorism, notably amongst them are The Terrorist, Terrorist Lives and The Fanatics.
Research discussed in the podcast as influencing Max's career:
B.F. Skinner (1951). Science and Human Behaviour
Richard S. Peters (1958). The Concept of Motivation
Derek B. Cornish and Ronald V. Clarke (1986). The Reasoning Criminal: Rational Choice Perspectives on Offending
Max's key research, discussed in the podcast:
Rational choice, behaviour analysis and political violence (1992)
A conceptual framework for addressing psychological process in the development of the terrorist. With John Horgan (2006)
Is terrorism a group phenomenon? (2010)
In this week's episode John talks to Dr. Rashmi Singh of PUC Minas, Brazil. Their conversation covers the influence of history and archaeology on Rashmi's career, her analysis of terrorism in the Middle East, and the history of terrorism in India.
Be sure to read all of the research referred to by visiting fuel.ac.uk/TERC/Talking-Terror and to follow us on Twitter @TERCUEL and tweet at us using #TalkingTerror
In this week's episode John talks to Javier Argomaniz of the Handa Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV) at the University of East London. Javier discusses the role of the EU in counter-terrorism, the role of deterrence and backlash in relation to countering ETA, and the role which victims can and do play in the development and dissemination of counter-narratives.
As always if you want to read more in depth about any research referred to in today's pod be sure to visit our website uel.ac.uk/TERC/Talking-Terror and to keep in touch follow us on Twitter @TERCUEL and tweet at us using #TalkingTerror
In this week's episode John talks to Prof. Erica Chenoweth of the University of Denver. In this interview Erica discusses a range of topics relating to her research and her influences. Included within this is a fascinating discussion of how Zlata's Diary had a huge influence on her career.
Erica's career has focused on analysing political violence and its alternatives, and this is reflected in her discussion with John.
As always if you want to see any of the research discussed in the show be sure to check out the Talking Terror webpage www.uel.ac.uk/Talking_Terror and to follow us on Twitter @TERCUEL and tweet at us using #TalkingTerror
In this week's episode John chats to Dr. Bart Schuurman of Leiden University and the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism. This episode covers a range of issues including the evaluation of Dutch re-integration programmes, the role of public support in terrorism and counter-terrorism, and the individual rationales for involvement in Dutch jihadist groups.
For all of the most up to date information be sure to follow us on Twitter @TERCUEL and tweet at us with #TalkingTerror
In this special episode of Talking Terror John sits down and talks to Anthony Richards and Andrew Silke. In the wake of the October 1st mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada the three discuss two core issues. 1) Should this attack be classified as terrorism? 2) If ISIS may not be the perpetrators why would they claim responsibility?
As always for more information follow us on Twitter @TERCUEL and tweet at us using #TalkingTerror. Also be sure to check out our website www.el.ac.yj/TERC/Talking-Terror
In this episode John speaks to Dr. Sarah Marsden, a lecturer in radicalisation and protest in a digital age at Lancaster University. The chat covers a variety of topics, but focuses primarily on Sarah's research on reintegration of terrorist offenders.
As always if you want to read the research discussed in this episode be sure to go to uel.ac.uk/TERC/Talking-Terror. Also for the most up to date information follow us on Twitter @TERCUEL and tweet at us with #TalkingTerror
In this episode John talks to Prof. Laura Dugan of the University of Maryland and START about her research, and the research that inspired her career. In the episode John and Laura discuss the origins and iterations of the Global Terrorism Database (GTD), her research on moving beyond deterrence in Israel, and Armenian terrorism.
As always for the most up to date information on the centre and the podcast visit www.uel.ac.uk/TERC/Talking-Terror and follow us on Twitter @TERCUEL
This is the first episode of a new weekly podcast series by the Terrorism and Extremism Research Centre (TERC) at the University of East London. The aim of this podcast is to provide listeners with the opportunity to hear from some of the best, and most influential, terrorism and counterterrorism researchers from around the world. Each episode will be dedicated to one individual researcher, in conversation with the TERC Director John Morrison. These conversations will allow the listener to get an in-depth insight into the some of the best research on terrorism, from the researchers themselves. Within the episodes the guests will discuss their own research, as well as the research by others who have influenced them. Links to those projects discussed in each episode can be found within the biographies of our guests. It is our aim that this podcast series will be worthwhile and interesting for a wide ranging audience. From students to professors, practitioners to those with a passing interest in understanding terrorism and counter-terrorism, we believe that there will be something for everyone within each episode.
For information about each of our guests, and their research, be sure to check out our website www.uel.ac.uk/TERC/Talking-Terror and follow us on Twitter @TERCUEL, and tweet at us with #Talking Terror. On the website you will find links to all of the research discussed.
In this week's episode John talks to Prof. Andrew Silke about his research on the psychology of terrorism, prison radicalisation, and the health of terrorism research. The discussion, as will be the same with all guests, also delves into the research which has influenced his career.