Terrorism Research Centres: 100 Institutes, Programs and Organisations in the Field of Terrorism, Counter-Terrorism, Radicalisation and Asymmetric Warfare Studies

Terrorism Research Centres: 100 Institutes, Programs and Organisations in the Field of Terrorism, Counter-Terrorism, Radicalisation and Asymmetric Warfare Studies

Compiled by Benjamin Freedman

(Editorial Assistant, Terrorism Research Initiative)

Introduction

Who is doing research – academic and otherwise – on terrorism? The field of terrorism research is broad and ever-expanding. Governments sponsor intelligence-driven analytical research agencies. Commercial intelligence firms like Jane’s, sell their research to corporate and governmental clients. There are think tanks likeRAND, which work closely with government agencies. An increasing number of universities house terrorism research centres, the oldest one being the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St. Andrews. Then there are virtual networks, such as the Terrorism Research Initiative (TRI), that try to create synergies between a wide array of researchers and topics.

Beyond organizational makeup, notable differences in research approach also exist ,For instance, the gulf between those who work as contractors for homeland security departments and those who work in the policy world. Or, the gap between those who work with classified intelligence and those who work only with open source material. Then there is a divide between those who are considered ‘orthodox’ scholars and those who call themselves ‘critical terrorism scholars’(CTS). The latter, at times, call the former ‘terrorologists’; those, in turn, label some from the CTS school ‘hypocritical’.

Considering the proliferation of government agencies, private firms, research organizations and internet-based initiatives, the number of newcomers to the field of Terrorism Studies is substantial. Some focus on more general issues like social conflict, armed conflict or political violence topics that often include terrorism-related research. Still others maintain a national, regional, or even global, focus. Much work comes from English-speaking countries and Israel, while other parts of the world are notably under-represented. Trying to create an inventory of such a broad spectrum of research organizations also proves challenging as there are several website-only “centres” directed by a single individual with little visible – or ‘credible’ – output.

In the following list we present a collection of 100 centres, organisations, institutes, programs and projects that seek to expand the research community’s collective knowledge of terrorism, counterterrorism, political violence, radicalisation and asymmetric conflict. In an attempt to provide an overview, a broad array of entities beyond proper academic research centres and institutes have been included. Though many of the entries on this list may receive government funding, state agencies and departments involved in terrorism research have not been included.

Our list is incomplete and, as such, might leave off centres well worth including. We have tried to include only credible, professional organizations though might not have been fully successful in doing so. We welcome feedback from the readers of Perspectives on Terrorism on the present status and work of the entities on our list, as well as on entities left off which are worth including (contact: [email protected]).