While numerous researchers have taken a macro approach to assessing the state of the field of terrorism studies, little has been done to better understand one vital sub-section: women and terrorism. Despite women’s active and supportive participation in terrorism and political violence, it is often repeated that they are overlooked,…
Risk assessment tools developed specifically for violent extremist offenders (VEOs) currently lack an explicit gender dimension. Practice and research suggest that such a dimension is necessary. Importantly, the implications are relevant not only for the risk assessment itself, but also in the broader context of violent extremism (VE) management. For…
This report investigates the rise of online anti-trans activism following two prominent attacks involving LGBTQ+ communities, namely the October 2022 attack on a gay bar in Bratislava, Slovakia, and the March 2023 shooting at a school in Nashville, Tennessee perpetrated by a trans man. We use a postcolonial approach, through…
In February 2022, Moonshot launched the Threat Bulletin, a monthly, subscription-based product providing analysis of U.S. Domestic Violent Extremism (DVE) online. In addition to other forms of analysis, the Bulletin provides a monthly assessment of online threats and encouragement to violence against over 20 different communities and groups who are often…
How do individuals who commit violent terrorist crimes differ from those who commit nonviolent terrorist crimes? In this study, we compare characteristics and pathways of violent (VTS) and nonviolent (NVTS) individuals prior to being suspected or convicted of crimes with terrorist intent (e.g. planning an attack, financing terrorism) in the…
This Policy Brief outlines recommendations for the effective implementation of preventing/countering violent extremism programmes in conflict settings that draw on lessons learned from Afghanistan as part of RUSI’s Strengthening Resilience to Violent Extremism (STRIVE) Afghanistan programme.
This Emerging Insights paper aims to explore how the same ideas and themes that are used by IS-K for recruitment and for ‘gluing’ members to the organisation might be recrafted for those members who are disengaging. The paper is primarily based on data collected during the STRIVE Afghanistan project, which…
This comparative case study of the Freedom Movement in Sweden and the Freedom Convoy in Canada provides insights into the processes of transnationalization involved in the (re)production of far-right narratives around the COVID-19 pandemic. Focusing on the online media of these protest movements we explore the extent to which the…
The nexus between violent extremism and online gaming has been a pressing issue among researchers, policy makers and law enforcement agencies for some time. Violent perpetrators like Anders Breivik used well-known video games to prepare for their attacks. Brenton Tarrant live streamed his attack, mirroring the style of first-person shooter…
The new report is a deep examination of ‘AI extremism’. Like past technological progress, AI will indeed be – in fact already is – used in various ways to bolster extremist agendas. Identifying the many opportunities for action that come with a range of AI models, and linking them with…
Are extremists (incels, neo-nazis, and the like) characteristically answerable for their moral and political convictions? Is it necessary to offer them reasoned arguments against their views, or is it instead appropriate to bypass that kind of engagement? Discussion of these questions has centered around the putative epistemic autonomy of extremists….
The far right is increasingly relying on visual and less extreme online communication, for instance by using memes, to strategically mainstream their ideology. The use of humor in particular renders their communication more relatable to a mainstream audience. However, little is known about the actual impacts of the different content…
