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September 2012 E-newsletter available now

FEATURED RESEARCH

 
Research Brief: Law Enforcement Efforts to Counter Violent Extremism
A new START Research Brief features analyses of the effectiveness of law enforcement measures to counter violent extremism in two past cases —efforts to counter eco-terrorists and violent Puerto Rican nationalists. Full story…
 
Report assesses factors related to violent extremism among Somali-Americans in Minneapolis-St. Paul
A new START report identified three main risk factors that, when combined, increased the potential for violent extremism in Somali-American youth in Minneapolis-St. Paul: youth’s unaccountable times and unobserved spaces; the perceived social legitimacy of violent extremism; and contact with recruiters or associates. Full story…
 
Terrorism: A Self-love story
The same motivational force that drives people to commit acts of terrorism can actually promote pro-social and benevolent behavior, according to a new START study recently accepted for publication by the American Psychologist. Full story…
 
Database Spotlight: Minorities at Risk Organizational Behavior (MAROB)
START researchers have released a dataset that can help scholars and practitioners better understand how and why some organizations rooted in ethnic groups use violence and terrorism in response to their grievances with local, national or international authority structures. Full story…
 


DISCUSSION POINT

Discussion Point: The end of radicalization?
Written by John Horgan, this is the second in a series of thought pieces authored by members of the START Consortium to foster thoughtful reflection and discussion. In this piece, Horgan proposes that it is time to end our preoccupation with radicalization so that we can effectively regain a focus on terrorist behavior. Full story…
 


START NEWS

 
John Cohen delivers keynote address at START Annual Meeting
Acknowledging a room filled with terrorism scholars and distinguished government officials for their steadfast efforts in counterterrorism research and practice, Department of Homeland Security's Principal Deputy Counterterrorism Coordinator and Senior Advisor, John Cohen, gave the keynote address at the START Annual Meeting. Full story…
 
Annual Meeting focuses on maximizing relevance of research
More than 75 of the country’s top terrorism scholars gathered this month for the START Annual Meeting. During the two-day meeting, attendees introduced new research, shared findings from current and completed research, and heard from a variety of distinguished government representatives and homeland security practitioners. Full story…
 
Researcher Spotlight: Monica Schoch-Spana
In September’s Researcher Spotlight, Monica Schoch-Spana discusses community resilience, current research projects, her green thumb and her love of fiction. Full story…
 
CBRN terrorism by non-state actors
At a recent Research Roundtable, START’s Lauren Pinson discussed why law enforcement and intelligence agencies should not ignore the possibility of lone actors and autonomous cells using Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) terrorism. Full story…
 
Remittances and the financing of terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa
In a recently published article, START visiting scholars and two of Morehouse College’s economics professors Juliet Elu and Gregory Price explain how informal and formal remittances have funded incidents of terrorism. Full story…
 
Gary LaFree selected for World Economic Forum
START Director Gary LaFree has been chosen as a new member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Terrorism. Full story…
 
START recruiting Spring 2013 interns
Undergraduate and graduate students from all universities are encouraged to apply by Oct. 7 for the START internship program. START is currently offering unpaid internships on several of its research projects. Full story…
 


SIGNIFICANT TERRORISM EVENTS IN THE NEWS

 
Canada: Return of Parti Québécois to power marred by possible assassination attempt 
Richard Henry Bain entered an election victory celebration for the Parti Québécois Sept. 4 and opened fire near Quebec’s new premier-designate, Pauline Marois, who was unharmed.  Full story…
 
International: Brother of Zawahiri proposes peace plan
The brother of al-Qaida leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, offered to mediate a peace deal between al-Qaida and the Western world in an interview with CNN that aired on Sept. 11. Full story… 
 
France: French newspaper publishes cartoon mocking the prophet Muhammad 
Just days after the Muslim world erupted in anger over the posting of an American made anti-Islamic video on YouTube, a French paper, Charlie Hebdo, published a cartoon depicting the prophet Muhammad without clothing. Full story…
 
Nigeria: 48 injured in suicide bomb attack on Catholic Church in Nigeria 
Recent reports out of Nigeria claim that 48 people were injured and five were killed on Sept. 23 in the city of Bauchi when a suicide bomber detonated explosives packed inside his car, which was located outside of St. John’s Catholic Cathedral Church. Full story…
 
United States: Terrorist plot discovered in murder investigation 
Through the course of an investigation into the murder of a former soldier and his girlfriend, authorities in Georgia uncovered numerous plots to carry out acts of terrorism in the United States by an underground militia. Full story…
 


CAREER OPPORTUNITY

Faculty Senior Researcher
The START Consortium and the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS) at the University of Maryland is currently seeking to hire a faculty member (rank open) who will be half-time at START and half-time in one of the academic departments within BSOS. This is a tenured or tenure stream position. Priority deadline was Sept. 4 but the position remains open until filled. Application Information…
 


EVENTS

 
Black Swans and Burstiness: Oct. 4 Lecture
Join START and the University of Maryland Community at 4 p.m. October 4 for a special lecture by Gary LaFree on “Black Swans and Burstiness: Countering the Myths of Terrorism,” as part of the Distinguished Scholar-Teacher program. Full story…
 
Study Abroad Information Session:  Oct. 1
Undergraduate and graduate students can study how terrorism impacts Australia and the Pacific Rim through a study abroad offered by START in Sydney this winter. Full story…
 
Research Roundtable on conflict management in India: Oct. 18
Bidisha Biswas will present a Research Roundtable on Oct. 18 at 3 p.m. on India’s experiences in confronting the insurgencies in Punjab, Kashmir, and the continuing Left-Wing Extremist Movement. Full story…
 
Research Roundtable on the release of the 2011 GTD data: Nov. 1
START’s Erin Miller will give a Research Roundtable on Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. in Symons 3121, to present the release of the 2011 GTD Data, which will be available online next week. Full story…
 
Terrorism Studies Minor Information Session: Dec. 3, 7
The Terrorism Studies minor is designed to explore the origins and motivations of terrorism and impacts of the threat of terrorism on both individuals and communities. Full story…
 


START IN THE NEWS

 
Big Picture: Homegrown terrorism
START research is cited in this Yahoo News article about homegrown terrorism. Full story…
 
FEAR plot to overthrow US government part of rising domestic extremism
START researcher Steven Chermak and the Extremist Crime Database are cited in this Newsweek/Daily Beast article about domestic extremism in the United States. Full story…
 
Learning from Sri Lanka
The National Interest journal published an op-ed written by START researchers Arie Kruglanski and Michele Gelfand. The piece highlights lessons learned in addressing some of Sri Lanka's terrorism issues, particularly the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Full story…
 

This is a selection of news clips from the past month. 
A complete list of START’s media coverage can be found here.

 


SUPPORTING START

 
Help Support START Research and Education
The START Consortium is dedicated to generating knowledge of the human causes and consequences of terrorism. Applying rigorous standards to both research and education, START seeks to illuminate one of the most highly politicized and understudied phenomena in the social sciences for students, practitioners, and policy-makers. Funded primarily through research grants to date, START is seeking to generate an endowment that will provide the flexibility and autonomy to ensure that it can continue to serve as an objective source of data and empirically based analysis into the future.  To donate, or for more information, please click here.