A utilization focused guide for conducing terrorism risk reduction program evaluations

Posted on August 18, 2014 by neil_shortland@uml.edu

With the Society for Terrorism Research (STR) 8th Annual International Conference fast approaching, STR, partnered with the Center for Terrorism and Security Studies (CTSS), is launching a series of guest blog posts, written by those who will be presenting their research at STR14. In the eighth installment of this series Dr. Michael Williams discusses his upcoming presentation on conducting evaluations of risk reduction programs aimed at individuals involved in terrorism. Dr. Williams’s research relates to countering violent extremism (CVE) and how to rehabilitate/reintegrate those previously involved in such extremism. Here Dr. Williams breaks down the title of his presentation to outline exactly what is meant by “A utilization focused guide for conducting terrorism risk reduction program evaluations”. Continue reading →

Crisis Negotiation Techniques In Terrorist Incidents: It’s Been 10 Years Since Beslan- What Have We Learned?

Posted on August 12, 2014 by neil_shortland@uml.edu

With the Society for Terrorism Research (STR) 8th Annual International Conference fast approaching, STR, partnered with the Center for Terrorism and Security Studies (CTSS), is launching a series of guest blog posts, written by those who will be presenting their research at STR14. In the sixth installment of this series Detective Jeff Thompson (@nonverbalPhD) discusses his work on the lessons learnt from the Beslan School Siege. Detective Jeff Thompson is the 2013/2014 recipient of the New York City Police Department Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly Scholarship and attended Columbia University as Research Scholar. His research topic was crisis and hostage negotiation as well as terrorism related incidents [This article does not reflect the opinion of any group or organization that he is employed by or a member of].

Continue reading →

Comparative Behavioural Analyses of Mental Illness across Terrorist Actors and Mass Casualty Offenders

Posted on July 15, 2014 by bryan_carter@uml.edu

DoD Minvera Grant Awards

Posted on May 22, 2014 by james_forest@uml.edu

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

Perspectives on Terrororism Vol. 8 No. 2

Posted on April 24, 2014 by james_forest@uml.edu

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/

Best PhD Thesis in Terrorism Studies

Posted on March 24, 2014 by james_forest@uml.edu

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

Countering the al-Shabaab Insurgency in Somalia

Posted on February 28, 2014 by james_forest@uml.edu

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.

Terrorism & CT Conference: September 2014, Boston

Posted on February 9, 2014 by james_forest@uml.edu

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.

New: Rand report on Terrorist Learning

Posted on January 15, 2014 by james_forest@uml.edu

Breaching the Fortress Wall: Understanding Terrorist Efforts to Overcome Defensive Technologies
by Brian A. Jackson, Peter Chalk, Kim Cragin et al.

Available online at: http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG481.html

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