RESEARCH

April 23, 2020

Inside The Russian Imperial Movement: Practical Implications of U.S. Sanctions

Over the past several years, high-profile terrorist attacks by violent white supremacist extremists have gained worldwide attention and thrust the movement onto the front page of the news. From the deadly mosque attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand to a violent rampage motivated by xenophobia in El Paso, Texas, the violent white supremacist movement is on the offensive and is gaining momentum. Its legions of followers congregate online to spread propaganda, recruit new…...

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March 12, 2020

The Nexus between Human Security and Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism

Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) approaches are unlikely to succeed in the long term without addressing a range of structural factors, specifically political, economic and social drivers including public perceptions of policing; the socio-economic exclusion of particular communities and ethnic, race, religion or gender groups; and the lack of economic opportunities for young people, all of which create the sense of injustice on which violent extremism feeds....

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September 27, 2019

White Supremacy Extremism: The Transnational Rise of the Violent White Supremacist Movement

From Pittsburgh to Poway and Charleston to El Paso, white supremacist extremists (WSEs) pose a clear terrorist threat to the United States. And while extremist groups operating on American soil are often labeled or categorized as domestic terrorist organizations, this report will demonstrate that they maintain links to transnational networks of like-minded organizations and individuals, from Australia, Canada, Russia, South Africa, and elsewhere. The danger of terrorism is growing in the United…...

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May 14, 2019

Iran’s Playbook: Deconstructing Tehran’s Regional Strategy

This report demonstrates that Iran’s regional strategy is sophisticated, intricate, and nimble. Whereas Iran’s primary method of operations in the region is to support armed factions and pro- Iranian governments financially, politically, and militarily, it is a mistake to reduce Iran’s strategy to “supporting terrorism.” Officials and experts who analyze Iran’s efforts as supporting terrorism alone risk underestimating the degree to which Iran’s overall grand strategy has succeeded, and in fact frustrated…...

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January 23, 2019

Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS): The Nucleus of Jihad in South Asia

Seventeen years after the 9/11 attacks, al-Qaeda has survived, due in large part to a deliberate strategy focused on gaining the support of the masses by “going local.” Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), the youngest affiliate of al-Qaeda, is in many ways the realization of that new strategy. Western counterterrorism circles are slowly recognizing the viability of al-Qaeda’s reach into South Asia, as AQIS appears to be building its capabilities throughout…...

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