• German Police Failed in Far-Right Hanau Killings: Critics

    Police have been accused of failing to keep tabs on a racist killer during one of Germany’s worst-ever far-right shootings. Police say they had to proceed cautiously.

  • The Pandemic: Implications for Terrorist Interest in Biological Weapons

    What if the IS or al-Qaeda obtained and spread a highly contagious virus in a community or country that they sought to punish? With the pandemic highlighting weaknesses in response efforts, will these groups now seek to obtain infectious viruses to achieve these same deadly results?

  • Few Western Extremists Have So Far Gone to Ukraine

    The Russia-Ukraine war has been attracting foreign fighters/volunteers since 2014 – some supporting Ukraine, the others supporting Russia. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, chatrooms favored by extremists were filled with brave statements about how many more volunteers would go to Ukraine to support their favorite side. So far, this chatter has been all talk, but not a lot of walk.

  • Ukraine War: Will the Islamic State Benefit?

    The terrorist group has said it will take advantage of the fact that the West is distracted by war in Ukraine. But any advantage it will get from the war likely has less to do with terrorism, and more with economics.

  • How to Avoid Extremism on Social Media

    The internet has been a haven for extremists since long before most people even knew it existed. Today, extremists share their likes and tweet their thoughts like everyone else. But they have also spun off into an ever-widening array of social media sites with greater appetites for hateful words and violent images.

  • Global Coalition Readying 'Holistic' Assault on Islamic State in Africa

    The ever-present threat from Islamic State is again being thrust onto the global stage, with the United States voicing hope that it is not too late to prevent the terror group from turning the African continent into a dangerous playground.

  • Russia's Claims of Ukrainian Biological Weapons: A Propaganda Ploy?

    Since its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has claimed Kyiv is developing biological weapons with support from the US and Germany. Experts familiar with laboratories in Ukraine say the accusations are groundless.

  • Holocaust Analogies Frequently Used as Fodder for Social and Political Commentary

    The Holocaust stands out as a preeminent example of modern-day state-sponsored mass murder. Despite the Holocaust’s distinctive status, or perhaps because of it, politicians, activists, and other public figures often invoke inappropriate Holocaust comparisons to highlight the ostensible “danger” of a social or political act.

  • Artificial Intelligence and Chemical and Biological Weapons

    A recent article in Nature offers a disturbing look at the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the creation of chemical and biological weapons. “Anyone unfamiliar with recent innovations in the use of AI to model new drugs will be unpleasantly surprised,” Paul Rosenzweig writes. “The benefits of these innovations are clear. Unfortunately, the possibilities for malicious uses are also becoming clear.”

  • Domestic Extremists’ Social Media Habits

    A new study, bridging two leading databases on extremist hate and violence, found that individuals in both have been influenced by social media, and their web platform choices may mirror those of the general population.

  • International Approval Shapes Public Perceptions of Drone Warfare

    Drones that carry weapons are increasingly employed as counterterrorism tools, but nations use and constrain strikes differently. France, for example, submits its strikes to the U.N. for approval; the U.S. typically does not. This difference matters when it comes to public support and perceptions of legitimacy.

  • How Extremism Operates Online

    Since the early days of the internet, radical groups and movements across the ideological spectrum have demonstrated their intent and ability to harness virtual platforms to perform critical functions. Recent demonstrations and violent attacks have highlighted the need for an improved understanding of the role of internet-based technologies in aiding and amplifying the spread of extremist ideologies.

  • The Role of Violent Conspiratorial Narratives in Violent and Non‐Violent Extreme Right Manifestos Online, 2015‐2020

    Much research remains to be done on the precise qualitative difference between the structures and linguistic markers that are evident in violent and non‐violent conspiratorial language, especially on the extreme far right, and how this encourages an individual to violent action. A new report offers findings which are both striking and, in some cases, unexpected.

  • Google Autocomplete Helps Mislead Public, Legitimize Conspiracy Theorists

    Google algorithms place innocuous subtitles on prominent conspiracy theorists, which mislead the public and amplify extremist views, according to researchers.

  • Facebook Posts Linking to Problematic Sites at Alarming Rates

    Over a hundred million American adults read news on social media. In the wake of the crisis in Ukraine, antisemitism, hate speech, and disinformation have spread widely on Facebook. Researchers found evidence of the continued presence of problematic posts on the platform, the most popular site for getting news, as well as the prevalence of external links directing users to alternative platforms and sites popular among extremists.