COLLEGE PARK, Md. – (March 26, 2024) – The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism’s (START) Irregular Warfare and Conflict Assessment Group (IWCAG) has launched a unique new data and knowledge tool, the Global Responses to Asymmetric Threats (GRAT) portal.
The searchable database component of the portal is the first of its kind to encompass empirical and policy pieces on governments’ responses to asymmetric threats over a 20-year timespan, from 2002-2022. GRAT was designed to empower scholars and practitioners to improve the understanding of how governments respond to asymmetric threats across various pillars of irregular warfare and recognize research gaps in the literature more efficiently.
“We hope that by making it easier to identify and synthesize existing findings on the effectiveness of government responses to asymmetric threats, the portal will help with research prioritization and serve as an educational tool in courses and training,” said Dr. Elizabeth Radziszewski, co-leader of the GRAT project.
Users can filter and search articles using several dimensions, including methodology, key variables, type of state power used as a response, and geographic region. Being able to search across many dimensions allows users to easily drill down to their specific research area of interest. Each article provides additional analytical information that also includes research questions, findings, hypotheses, and policy problems/recommendations for policy pieces. Additionally, users can rely on the portal to access reports that contain analyses of COIN research based on the database.
The first searchable database focuses on government responses to insurgent threats (COIN).
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The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) is a university-based research, education and training center comprised of an international network of scholars committed to the scientific study of terrorism, responses to terrorism and related phenomena. Led by the University of Maryland, START is a Department of Homeland Security Emeritus Center of Excellence that is supported by multiple federal agencies and departments. START uses state-of-the-art theories, methods and data from the social and behavioral sciences to improve understanding of the origins, dynamics and effects of terrorism; the effectiveness and impacts of counterterrorism and CVE; and other matters of global and national security. For more information, visit www.start.umd.edu or contact START at infostart@umd.edu.