Chris
Project Officer
Chris Goodenough
Project Officer
Chris
Project Officer
Chris Goodenough
Project Officer
Chris
Project Officer
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RUSI has significant international expertise in researching and countering terrorism and countering violent extremism as well as understanding conflict.
The group is unique in the British think tank community. The terrorism and conflict group draws on its diverse experience and a network of experts to deliver bespoke research and advisory services.
Our team includes academics, former policy-makers, practitioners and researchers who deploy an evidence-based approach to support policy and decision-making. This multidisciplinary capability is complemented by an extensive formal and informal network of high-level contacts across the globe.
Focus
The Terrorism and Conflict Group aims to:
- Conduct world class research and analysis
- Disseminate global best practice
- Provide technical training tailored to a range of regions and countries
- Promote public understanding: host conferences, workshops, breakfast meetings
- Help prioritise key research questions for government and academic community
- Support greater collaboration between public/private sectors
Current Activities
On counter-extremism and understanding contemporary geographies of radicalisation, RUSI runs a suite of projects in the UK and a number of global locations including Kenya, Somalia, Afghanistan, Russia, Central Asia, Lebanon and Sudan. In Kenya, our groundbreaking programme involves local mentors working with youths at risk of radicalisation, in an approach described as ‘innovative’ in a major feature by The Guardian in March 2019. In a major feature, the newspaper highlighted the programme’s unconventional approaches to persuade people away from extremism. The lessons learned from this programme have been incorporated into subsequent counter-radicalisation interventions developed by other organisations, such as the British Council. RUSI is implementing a similar EU-funded initiative in Afghanistan and the model has been taken to policymakers in other countries. In Russia and Central Asia, RUSI carried out fieldwork and works with local partners to study radicalisation amongst labour migrants in Russia, making recommendations in local languages.
RUSI’s expertise in this area was brought together in a major agenda-shaping paper that assessed the current state of global counter-radicalisation work, and was launched in New York, Brussels and London with senior level support from the UN, the EU and numerous governments. RUSI also diseminates through training of policy and development practitioners including for the European Commission.
RUSI also conducts research related to issues of gender, terrorism and conflict. In April 2019, the BBC published research from RUSI on the reasons why women turn to terrorism and rehabilitation approaches for former or returning fighters. In 2016-2017 RUSI implemented a formative five country study on gender, radicalisation and countering violent extremism.
In 2018-2019 RUSI led the Global Research Network on Terrorism and Technology as part of its growing work on terrorist online andd offline content.
Contacts
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People
Michael
Research Fellow
Michael Jones
Research Fellow
Michael
Research Fellow
Michael Jones
Research Fellow
Michael
Research Fellow
Claudia
Research Assistant
Claudia Wallner
Research Assistant
Claudia
Research Assistant
Claudia Wallner
Research Assistant
Claudia
Research Assistant
Jessica
Research Fellow
Jessica White
Research Fellow
Jessica
Research Fellow
Jessica White
Research Fellow
Jessica
Research Fellow
Emily
Director, Terrorism and Conflict
Emily Winterbotham
Director, Terrorism and Conflict
Emily
Director, Terrorism and Conflict
Emily Winterbotham
Director, Terrorism and Conflict
Emily
Director, Terrorism and Conflict
Martine
Team Leader STRIVE
Martine Zeuthen
Team Leader STRIVE
Martine
Team Leader STRIVE
Martine Zeuthen
Team Leader STRIVE
Martine
Team Leader STRIVE
Latest
Soleimani’s Killing: The Regional Ripple Effects are Yet to Come
Commentary, 20 January 2020
Jessica White
While the initial furore seems to have abated after the US killing of Major General Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, the ripple effects will continue to spread across the region.
Tags: Iran, Terrorism and Conflict, Iraq, Counterinsurgency, Middle East and North Africa
"“The path towards terrorism is individual, complex and non-linear, so the mechanism for dealing with it is always going to be constrained by this reality and essentially unpredictability,” Emily Winterbotham said. “This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to deradicalise or disengage people, but we need to be realistic about the chances of success.” "
London Bridge attack: the difficulty in reforming extremists
In The News, 2 December 2019 Tags: UK Counter-terrorism, Tackling Extremism, Terrorism and Conflict, UK, Terrorism, Europe
RUSI Experts Welcome Renewed Global Commitment to Target Financial Proceeds of Illegal Wildlife Trade
News, 18 October 2019
Experts at the Royal United Services Institute have welcomed today’s commitment to combatting the illegal wildlife trade by the Financial Action Task Force, the intergovernmental body dedicated to combatting money laundering.
Tags: Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, Terrorism and Conflict
Lessons Learned from P/CVE Youth Mentorship
Conference Reports, 10 October 2019
Tina Wilchen Christensen
A report of the Lessons Learned from P/CVE Youth Mentorship conference hosted by RUSI in the Horn of Africa in Nairobi, Kenya.
Tags: RUSI International, Horn of Africa, Tackling Extremism, Terrorism and Conflict, STRIVE - Horn of Africa, Resilience, Terrorism, Africa
"In a recent report, the British defence and security think tank RUSI raised more specific concerns about the concept of the police using machine learning algorithms to make predictions and support decision making. Notably, it talks about the concept of “algorithmic transparency” and the difficulty for non-experts to understand how complex statistical models are used to make decisions.
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Why the police should use machine learning – but very carefully
In The News, 22 August 2019 Tags: Terrorism and Conflict, UK
"The plan to introduce 10 freeports across the UK after Brexit has drawn attention in recent weeks. Introducing these provenly risky ‘special economic zones’ sits uneasily alongside the UK’s wider efforts to ramp up the fight against economic crime. "
Freeports: Harbouring Criminality in Brexit Britain?
In The News, 9 August 2019 Tags: Terrorism and Conflict, European Union, UK, Maritime Forces, EuropePages
Soleimani’s Killing: The Regional Ripple Effects are Yet to Come
Commentary, 20 January 2020Jessica White
While the initial furore seems to have abated after the US killing of Major General Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, the ripple effects will continue to spread across the region.
Iran, Terrorism and Conflict, Iraq, Counterinsurgency, Middle East and North Africa
WhatsApp Hack Calls into Question Government Use of Commercial Spyware
Commentary, 17 June 2019Sneha Dawda and Alexander Babuta
As government use of commercial spyware becomes increasingly commonplace, stronger checks and balances will be needed to ensure software providers are acting in the public interest.
Cyber, Terrorism and Conflict, Future UK Cyber Security Strategy Project, Israel, Information, Intelligence, Technology
A New Generation of Intelligence: National Security and Surveillance in the Age of AI
Commentary, 19 February 2019Alexander Babuta
Engaging in open debate will be crucial for the UK Intelligence Community to gain public trust regarding the use of artificial intelligence for national security purposes.
Cyber, Equipment and Acquisitions, Terrorism and Conflict, Future UK Cyber Security Strategy Project, UK, Information, Securing Britain, Intelligence, National Security, Technology, UK Defence
Sudan’s Protests: Something New?
Commentary, 24 January 2019Michael Jones
A wave of protests sweeping the country may, unlike previous crises, be quite significant.
Horn of Africa, Terrorism and Conflict, Sudan, STRIVE - Horn of Africa, Global Security Issues, National Security, Resilience, Africa
To Ban or to Banbury?
Commentary, 7 December 2018John Hemmings
The detention of a chief Huawei executive has spotlighted yet again a controversial Chinese technology giant, and may be a harbinger of stronger international pressure on the company.
China, Cyber, Terrorism and Conflict, Future UK Cyber Security Strategy Project, UK, Asia, Global Security Issues, Information, Intelligence, Law and Ethics, National Security, TechnologyPages
Lessons Learned from P/CVE Youth Mentorship
Conference Reports, 10 October 2019Tina Wilchen Christensen
A report of the Lessons Learned from P/CVE Youth Mentorship conference hosted by RUSI in the Horn of Africa in Nairobi, Kenya.
RUSI International, Horn of Africa, Tackling Extremism, Terrorism and Conflict, Conference Reports, STRIVE - Horn of Africa, Resilience, Terrorism, Africa
Terrorist Definitions and Designations Lists: What Technology Companies Need to Know
Other Publications, 19 July 2019Chris Meserole and Daniel Byman
This paper offers guidance for technology companies on evaluating third-party definitions of terrorism and lists of terrorist entities.
Cyber, The Global Research Network on Terrorism and Technology, Other Publications, Terrorism and Conflict, Technology, Terrorism
Mapping the Jihadist Information Ecosystem: Towards the Next Generation of Disruption Capability
Other Publications, 16 July 2019Ali Fisher, Nico Prucha and Emily Winterbotham
This paper describes a model of the flow of users between social media platforms and surface web pages to access jihadist content, which provides an approximate picture of the jihadist information...
Cyber, The Global Research Network on Terrorism and Technology, Other Publications, Terrorism and Conflict, Terrorism
Peacekeeping After Brexit
Conference Reports, 12 December 2018David Curran, Georgina Holmes and Philip Cunliffe
On 7 September 2018, the British International Studies Association (BISA) Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding Working Group, in partnership with RUSI, held a roundtable on the future of the UK's relations...
RUSI International, United Nations, Brexit Briefings, Terrorism and Conflict, Conference Reports, European Union, UK, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding, Europe
Understanding the Factors Contributing to Radicalisation Among Central Asian Labour Migrants in Russia
Occasional Papers, 26 April 2018Mohammed S Elshimi with Raffaello Pantucci, Sarah Lain and Nadine L Salman
An in-depth study involving over 200 interviews sheds light on why some labour migrants in Russia become radicalised.
Occasional Papers, Tackling Extremism, Terrorism and Conflict, International Security Studies, Russia, Terrorism, Central and South AsiaPages
Emerging Security Issues in the Horn of Africa
Events, 27 June 2019At this event, Ambassador Monica Juma, Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kenya, spoke on emerging security issues in the Horn of Africa.
Terrorism and Conflict, Africa
BY INVITATION ONLY: Measuring the Scale of Money Laundering in the UK
Events, 10 December 2018This workshop will advance understanding of and develop methodologies that HM Government can use to measure the scale of money laundering in the UK
Terrorism and Conflict
Sanctions 2018: Sanctions in an Era of Political Uncertainty
Events, 8 November 2017RUSI, in collaboration with the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and the Center on Law and Security, NYU School of Law, will convene experts to examine and discuss the sanctions landscape...
Terrorism and Conflict, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, National Security
Virtual Currencies and the Future of Money Laundering
Events, 26 September 2017As part of RUSI’s Strategic Hub for Organised Crime Research workshop series, this event will examine the potential impact of virtual currencies and Fintech platforms on the future of money...
Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, Cyber, AML/CTF, Terrorism and Conflict, Organised Crime, Illicit Trade, Organised Crime, Technology
Resilience Conference 2017
Conference, 20 September 2017Responding to Complex Threats: Floods, Blackouts, and Hybrid Attacks
Climate Security, Cyber, NATO, Terrorism and Conflict, Future UK Cyber Security Strategy Project, Global Security Issues, Risk and Resilience, ResiliencePages
That's No Moon... That's A Tesla
Multimedia, 9 February 2018The successful and spectacular inaugural launch of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy this week not only captured public imaginations with its ground-breaking double booster recovery and quirky payload, but also...
Tags: Aerospace, Air Power and Technology, United States, Terrorism and Conflict
The Illicit Cigarette Trade
Multimedia, 4 July 2017RUSI Research Fellow Cathy Haenlein introduces on BBC World a new report by KPMG commissioned by RUSI investigates the scale of the illicit cigarette trade in the EU, Norway and Switzerland.
Tags: Terrorism and Conflict, Illicit Trade
Manchester Attack - Initial Reaction
Multimedia, 25 May 2017RUSI experts Raffaello Pantucci and Emily Winterbotham took part in a live conversation discussing the Manchester attacks that took place in Manchester on Monday 23 May.
Tags: Terrorism and Conflict, International Security Studies, Terrorism, UK, Terrorism
Jennifer Cole on the Use of VX Nerve Agent Against Kim Jong-Nam
Multimedia, 24 February 2017RUSI Senior Research Fellow Jennifer Cole examines the implications of the alleged use of VX Nerve agent against North Korean figure Kim Jong-Nam in Malaysia.
Tags: North Korea, Terrorism and Conflict, Resilience, Pacific
Counter-Terrorism in Great Britain
Multimedia, 11 January 2017RUSI Senior Research Fellow Professor Tahir Abbas discusses the UK's counter-terrorism strategy with Swiss broadcaster SRF. Here Tahir Abbas highlights that even though the UK seems to have better...
Tags: Tackling Extremism, Terrorism and Conflict, Terrorism, Radicalisation and Countering Violent Extremism, Terrorism
Death of Qassem Soleimani: What to Expect in Afghanistan and Pakistan
Britain’s Nuclear Projects: Less Bang and More Whimper
Soleimani’s Killing: The Regional Ripple Effects are Yet to Come