Faculty in the CTSS are often asked to provide commentary and insight for news stories about security and terrorism-related events. Our primary point of contact for these activities is Nancy Cicco, Assistant Director of Media Relations, Office of University Relations, (978) 934-4944 [ Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu ]
Here are some examples:
The June 2015 issue of our journal Perspectives on Terrorism begins with an article by Ali Fisher that explains how ISIS with its Swarmcast technique manages to outwit those who try to contain its propaganda on the Internet. One group that has been vulnerable to ISIS’ propaganda are Muslim women in Western diasporas, although women have more to lose from ISIS than most other groups. This paradox is the subject of Anita Peresin’s article. What has contributed much to the recruiting success of ISIS and other jihadists groups since 9/11 are the strategic mistakes made by those who oppose them. Scott Englund touches on this issue in our third article. ISIS is still puzzling policy-makers and one reason for this is that they cannot decide on what exactly the danger is. Boaz Ganor offers greater clarity by posing and answering four key questions in his Policy Brief.
The Policy Brief section also features an interview by Brian G. Williams with Lt.-Gen. David Deptula, a former US Air Force officer involved in the use of drones for countering terrorists. While collateral damage is much lower than from other instruments of war, drones have many critics. As customary, this issue contains book reviews and bibliographies from the hands of Joshua Sinai, Judith Tinnes and Eric Price.
In early May 2015, CTSS concluded another successful academic year-long student internship program. Several teams of student researchers prepared posters to provide a visual overview of their work.
Here are some snapshots:
New JSOU Report: U.S. Military Deployments to Africa: Lessons from the Hunt for Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army , by James Forest
Click here for information on the 8th Annual International Conference on Terrorism and Counterterrorism (September 17-19, 2014), to be held in Boston and co-sponsored by UMass Lowell’s Center for Terrorism & Security Studies, the Society for Terrorism Research, and UMass Boston.
Department of Defense 2014 Minerva grant awards have been announced. UMass Lowell’s Center for Terrorism & Security Studies have received two of them – outstanding!
Update: Here is the formal UMass Lowell CTSS Press Release
See the full list at: http://minerva.dtic.mil/funded.html
New issue of Perspectives on Terrorism, the internationally distributed scholarly journal co-sponsored by the CTSS, is now available. Contents include a new study on terrorist group survival and the “Top Dog Hypothesis” by Joe Young and Laura Dugan; an interesting case study of Hezbollah operatives in Egypt, by Matt Levitt; an essay by Heather Gregg on how religious terrorism differs from secular terrorism, a study on how researchers view “Cyberterrorism” by Lee Jarvis and Stuart Macdonald; an extensive bibliography on the Muslim Brotherhood, compiled by Judith Tinnes; and much more. Free access: http://www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/
Announcement: Best PhD Thesis in the Field of (Counter-) Terrorism Studies Annual Award by the Terrorism Research Initiative
In order to stimulate the search for excellence in academic research, TRI has created an annual award for the best PhD thesis that has been successfully defended at a university. Submissions for this award are due no later than March 31, 2014.
Details are online at:
http://www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/index.php/pot/article/view/307/html
New Report: Countering the al-Shabaab Insurgency in Somalia: Lessons for the U.S. Special Operations Forces by Graham Turbiville, Josh Meservey, and James Forest (Senior Fellow, CTSS)
February 2014
In this report, the authors argue that al-Shabaab’s current prospects have probably never been so low. This work provides a meaningful context to al-Shabaab and the Somali milieu. Al Shabaab has been pushed from all of its major strongholds by a robust international effort, and its violent Salafism has alienated many Somalis. But it still has teeth. It continues to harass coalition forces, as well as ordinary Somalis, with improvised explosive devices, suicide bombings, and assassinations. Its tactics reflect a strategic decision made by its leadership to fight a guerrilla war, a familiar role for a group that thrived by waging an anti-Ethiopian insurgency in the emid-2000s. This monograph is a useful resource for anyone who wishes to know more about the conflict in the Horn of Africa.
Click here to download a complete copy of this report as a PDF file.
Announcement: The STR 8th Annual International Conference (September 2014) will be held in Boston and co-sponsored by UMass Lowell’s Center for Terrorism & Security Studies, and by UMass Boston. Click here for details and the Call for Papers.