• Domestic Violent Extremism within DHS

    DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas created a working group consisting of senior DHS officials to conducted a comprehensive review of how to best prevent, detect, and respond to potential threats related to domestic violent extremism within the Department of Homeland Security.

  • Farrakhan Promotes Antisemitism, Anti-Vaccine Conspiracies

    The Nation of Islam (NOI) held its annual Saviors’ Day event, which commemorates the birth of NOI founder Fard Muhammad. The event culminated in a keynote address by longtime NOI leader Louis Farrakhan, and as is often the case, his speech featured extensive antisemitic, bigoted and conspiratorial rhetoric.

  • U.S. Stand Your Ground Laws Associated with 700 Additional Homicides Every Year: Study

    Stand Your Ground laws in the United States have expanded legal protections for individuals who use deadly violence in self-defense. A new study estimates they result in an additional 700 homicides each year - an increase in monthly homicide rates of 11 percent nationally, but up to 28 percent in some states.

  • War in Ukraine Could Cut Global Supply of Essential Elements for Making Green Technology

    The EU imports 40 percent of its natural gas from Russia, and nearly half of the five million barrels of crude oil Russia exports daily go to Europe. Decisive action by major economies to reduce coal, oil and gas imports from one of the world’s largest sources could accelerate the transition to green energy globally. But there’s a catch. Disruption to the supply of critical metals and other materials caused by the war in Ukraine could stall the roll-out of alternative technologies.

  • Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories “Explain” Russian Assault on Ukraine

    Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, extremists and anti-Semites across the ideological spectrum have used the war as fodder for promoting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.

  • Terrorism Research: How RAND Defined and Built a New Field of Knowledge

    In 1972, amid a worldwide rash of bombings, hijackings, and hostage-takings, the U.S. government was wrestling with how to respond. How widespread were these violent groups? What security measures were necessary? Should the government ever negotiate with hostage-takers? RAND researchers offered help by turning to their specialty: data.

  • Understanding Bombers’ Motivations: A Historical Study

    The saga of bombers and the driving forces behind their acts is never-ending. A historical study of bombings and bomb makers reveals reoccurring themes that underlie most of these events. This article will provide an analysis of the circumstances that compel bombers to attack, which can help explain what inspired notable bombings of the past.

  • U.S. Calls for War Crimes Probe into Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

    U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed calls Thursday from world leaders for an international war crimes investigation into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its bombing of civilians, including children and pregnant women at a maternity hospital.

  • Putin May Use Chechen War Playbook in Ukraine

    The Russian military campaign in Ukraine has been slower than expected, and Vladimir Putin may turn to the indiscriminate tactics of the wars in Chechnya that turned Chechen cities to rubble in the 1990s and early 2000s, human rights activists say.

  • Four Comments on the Situation in Ukraine

    After two weeks of costly fighting and widespread destruction, it is clear that Russia has launched its invasion of Ukraine with several flawed assumptions, which led to a flawed operational approach. The response of the West has been unified and impressive – and one of the likely lasting changes which has been brought about by the war, has been the sea change in the German approach to European politics and security, and the role of Germany in both.

  • Ukraine: What Will End the War? Here’s What Research Says

    The fog of war can obscure our view of who is winning, who is losing, and how long all of this will last. While no one can provide definitive answers, academic research on war gives us some insights into how the conflict in Ukraine might unfold.

  • Is Putin Irrational? Nuclear Strategic Theory on How to Deter Potentially Irrational Opponents

    Vladimir Putin’s astonishing lapse of judgment in invading Ukraine has fueled speculation that the Russian president may have taken leave of his senses. If this assessments is accurate, then the world faces a highly disturbing situation: a mad king in possession of the world’s largest nuclear arsenal. If Putin is not a rational adversary, then the policies that would deter a more-reasonable man may fail or even backfire.

  • Russia Shows the Limits of Propaganda

    Beyond the outer fringes of Western politics, neither Russia’s contrived casus belli nor its wartime information operation have been taken seriously in Europe or America.

  • China Expands Influence in Central America

    With a library here, a power station there, China is using aid and investment to increase its presence in Central America, posing a challenge to the United States’ 2-century-old diplomatic dominance in the region.

  • Extremist Propaganda Remained at Historic Levels in 2021

    The distribution of propaganda by racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists (RMVEs) remained at historic levels across the United States in 2021, with a total 4,851 cases of racist, anti-Semitic and other hateful messages. The latest data comes amid a surge in anti-Semitic hate fliering in January and February targeting at least 15 states nationwide.