January News: Career opportunities; UMD receives DOD funding

Jan 31, 2022

JOIN OUR TEAM

Data Collection Manager, Global Terrorism Database (GTD) – This is a full-time Senior Faculty Specialist position, with an initial term of 12 months, starting in March 2022. Applications are due by Monday, February 7, 2022.

Junior Data Collection Manager, Radicalization and Disengagement (RaD) Team – This is a full-time Faculty Specialist position, with an initial term of 12 months, starting in March 2022. Applications are due by Friday, February 11, 2022.

Assistant Research Director and Senior Researcher - This is a full-time Associate Research Scientist position, with an initial term of 12 months. This search is limited to current emplyees of the University of Maryland. Applications are due by Monday, February 14, 2022.

NEWS

Department of Defense provides funding to UMD for data collection on asymmetric threats
The Department of Defense (DOD) has awarded the University of Maryland (UMD) nearly $4 million to support data collection efforts on projects related to terrorism and other asymmetric threats.

START to offer internship stipends beginning summer 2022
START will be offering internship stipends for the foreseeable future, beginning in the summer 2022 semester. Students will receive $3,000 for summer semesters, and $2,250 for fall and spring semesters.

START releases data on Proud Boys ahead of Capitol Riot anniversary
Of the Capitol breach defendants with links to organized extremist groups, most (54) were affiliated with the Proud Boys—a group that promotes a traditional, male-dominated version of Western culture, according to a new research brief from START's Radicalization and Disengagement (RaD) team released earlier this month.

ICONS team releases report on escalation management in gray zone international crises
A team of START researchers led by Jonathan Wilkenfeld, Egle Murauskaite and Devin Ellis released a report on a three-year Department of Defense (DOD) Minerva Research Initiative study of escalation management in gray zone conflict and crisis last month. The study focused on great power competition in conflicts that unfold in the space between war and peace, with state actors using many different types of power to achieve political and security objectives.

FEATURED PUBLICATION

TOC as a Growing Threat to Regional, Global Security
Boyd, Marcus A. and Samuel Henkin

Transnational organized crime (TOC) is a significant and growing threat to the security of the United States and a major security challenge in other critical regions of the world. TOC continues to expand dramatically in size, scope, and influence with major destabilizing effects. In recent years, TOC entities have embraced new, and often violent, practices and advanced strategies to circumvent the traditional norms of legal economies and evade security interventions often operating through a vast economic system of dark networks and economies—illicit and illegal sourcing, labor inputs, production, products and services, supply chains, and consumer operations.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Global Terrorism Studies Minor Program
START has developed an undergraduate minor in Global Terrorism Studies, a cross-disciplinary program housed in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the University of Maryland. The minor is designed to train the next generation of terrorism analysts, including students who plan to pursue graduate study related to terrorism as well as employment in the federal, state, local, non-profit, and/or private sectors. START accepts applications to the program from University of Maryland undergraduates once per calendar year, during the spring semester. Apply by February 11, 2022 for Fall 2022.

Master of Professional Studies (MPS) degree in Security and Terrorism Studies
Prospective students can now apply for START’s fully online MPS in Security & Terrorism Studies. The program is appropriate for individuals interested in (and/or currently) working in fields related to intelligence analysis, national security analysis, or analysis of other relevant topic areas, and individuals interested in (and/or currently) conducting scholarly research on terrorism and security. Apply by August 5, 2022 for Fall 2022.

EXTERNAL RESEARCH AND OPPORTUNITIES

Research Brief: Seditious Conspiracy Cases in the American Terrorism Study (ATS)
This new research brief from the University of Arkansas's Terrorism Research Center (TRC) provides historical context of seditious conspiracy cases since 1980, using data from the American Terrorism Study (ATS).

Call for Papers: Journal of School Psychology
The Journal of School Psychology has opened a call for papers for the Special Issue on Causes and Consequences of Emerging Violent Extremism in the U.S. and Implications for School Safety, Student Mental Health, Families, and Communities.

EVENTS

UMD Second Look Fair
January 31 – February 4, Online
The University of Maryland Second Look Fair will take place from Jan 31 - Feb 4 at 12:00PM - 2:00PM each day on TerpLink. This is a University of Maryland event, but START will be taking part on Feb 3 - Feb 4, 2022. Whatever your thing is—sports, theater, community service, beekeeping, or just about anything else you can imagine—you have a SECOND chance to find your thing at the Second Look Fair!

The Role of Formers in P/CVE and Peacebuilding Workshop
February 17 – 18, Online
The University of Leeds Centre for Global Security Challenges and START will host a two-day virtual workshop on the role of former extremists in P/CVE and Peacebuilding. If you would like to register for this event, please email Md Didarul Islam at pr16mdi@leeds.ac.uk.

Insurgent Terrorism: Intergroup Relationships and the Killing of Civilians
10 a.m. ET February 23, Online
Victor Asal, Brian Phillips and R. Karl Rethemeyer will provide a virtual talk on their new START-Oxford University Press book, “Insurgent Terrorism: Intergroup Relationships and the Killing of Civilians.”

Soldiers of End-Times: Assessing the Military Effectiveness of the Islamic State
12 p.m. ET March 3, Online
Washington Institute for Near East Policy Associate Fellow Ido Levy will provide a virtual talk on his book, Soldiers of End-Times: Assessing the Military Effectiveness of the Islamic State.

Private Militaries and the Security Industry in Civil Wars: Competition and Market Accountability
12 p.m. ET April 7, Online
START Associate Research Scientist Elizabeth Radziszewski will provide a virtual talk on her book, Private Militaries and the Security Industry in Civil Wars: Competition and Market Accountability. This talk will explore conditions under which private military and security companies could be effectively utilized by governments to help terminate irregular conflicts.

Developing Impact and Effectiveness Assessment Tool for Influence Operations
1 p.m. ET April 26, Online
Unconventional Weapons and Technology (UWT) Director Steve Sin and UWT researchers Megan Rutter and Rhyner Washburn will provide a virtual talk on the findings from their project on foreign influence operations.

START IN THE NEWS

KCBS Radio: How some are fueling the extremists' fire with charges in the January 6th insurrection
START Director William Braniff is quoted in this radio spot about criminal charges surrounding the Capitol insurrection.

BNC News: Partisan terrorism on the rise after Jan. 6 insurrection
START Director William Braniff is interviewed in this TV spot about partisan terrorism.

Forbes: U.S. service members can’t ‘like’ or repost extremist content under new rules
START Director William Braniff is quoted in this article about the Department of Defense’s report on countering extremist activity within the ranks.

NPR: Defense officials announce new rules to counter extremism within the U.S. military
START Director William Braniff is interviewed in this radio spot about the Department of Defense’s report on countering extremist activity within the ranks.

Washington Post: A QAnon con: How the viral Wayfair sex trafficking lie hurt real kids
This article about QAnon conspiracy theories uses data from the Radicalization and Disengagement (RaD) team’s QAnon Crime Maps.

Defense One: Six things veterans can do to strengthen our democracy
START Director William Braniff co-wrote this op-ed about ways veterans can work to combat disinformation.

Fox News: Extremism roundtable with terrorism expert
START Director William Braniff is interviewed in this TV spot about extremism in the United States.

Associated Press: Decades of DOD efforts fail to stamp out bias, extremism
START Director William Braniff is quoted in this article about the Department of Defense working to combat extremism in the military.

NPR: Majority of Americans worry Jan. 6-style attack could happen again, poll finds
START researcher Elizabeth Yates is quoted in this article about concerns over another attack like the Capitol insurrection.

PBS News Hour: Mainstream presence of Proud Boys, other extreme groups creates mass radicalization fears
START researcher Michael Jensen is interviewed in this TV spot about the extremist group the Proud Boys.

Washington Post: The Pentagon vowed to confront extremism in the ranks. A year after Jan. 6, experts say more must be done.
START researcher Michael Jensen is quoted in this article about extremism in the military.

ABC: How the U.S.'s security tactics changed following the Jan. 6 riots
START Founding Director Gary LaFree is quoted in this article about American security changes following the Capitol insurrection.

The Guardian: ‘The Timothy McVeighs are still there’: Fears over extremism in U.S. military
This article about extremism in the U.S. military uses data from the Radicalization and Disengagement (RaD) portfolio.

NBC: Synagogue hostage crisis reminds us that neo-Nazis aren't the only ones targeting Jews
This opinion piece about the Texas synagogue hostage crisis uses data from the Bias Incidents and Actors Study (BIAS).

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.