Researchers from Penn State's International Center for the Study of Terrorism (ICST) are launching a groundbreaking new study of the motivations and behaviors of terrorist actors. The collaboration is part of a three-year international research program known as Understanding the Arc of Terrorist Involvement. The program will bring $1.3 million to Penn State for two research projects on the psychology of terrorism.The projects are sponsored by the US Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate and coordinated through the United Kingdom Home Office and Department of Homeland Security. (more)
The International Center for the Study of Terrorism at Penn State is sponsoring a free lecture, "Ten Years since 9-11," by Arif Alikhan, distinguished professor of homeland security and counterterrorism at the National Defense University, from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9, in Sutliff Auditorium at the Lewis Katz Building on Penn State's University Park campus. (more)
Often portrayed as pawns of male-dominated terrorist organizations, female terrorists are actually motivated by more complicated and diverse reasons, according to a Penn State researcher. "It's true that some women are coerced, but the truth is that motivations vary from terrorist group to terrorist group," said Mia Bloom, fellow, International Center for the Study of Terrorism. "For example, of the women in the provincial Irish Republican Army group that I talked to, not one was coerced; they were enthusiastic about their roles." (more)
The United States' preoccupation with national security, including counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and cyber security, is also a concern of higher education, according to Graham Spanier, president of Penn State University. (more)
Philip Mudd, former deputy director of both the FBI's National Security Branch and the CIA's Counterterrorist Center, will speak on "Watching the Threat: Views from a Life in the CIA & FBI" from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29, in the Lewis Katz Building on Penn State's University Park campus. His talk, which is free to the public, is part of the Speaker Series for International Center for the Study of Terrorism, and co-sponsored by School of International Affairs, Social Science Research Institute, and Strategic and Global Security Program. (more)
A better understanding of why people leave terrorism could be more important than why they became a terrorist, according to a Penn State terrorism expert. The information could also help counterterrorist agencies discredit militant outfits and prevent them from attracting fresh recruits. "The key issue here is that we need to pay more attention to the disengagement process because former terrorists are willing to speak about their experiences," said John Horgan, director of Penn State's International Center for the Study of Terrorism. "We need to identify those lessons, showcase them, and use them to combat the imagery, myths and credibility of the terrorist movements." (more)
To effectively combat terrorism in the 21st century, it's critical to establish strong international partnerships, according to a Penn State counterterrorism expert. Pete Forster, a professor in the College of the Liberal Arts, has found a way to marry theory to practice in his field, promoting civil society in war-torn regions. Through his membership in the Partnership for Peace Consortium (PfPC) of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes, an association of higher learning institutes in defense and security affairs, Forster works to find better ways to combat terrorism through the broadened perspective that comes through international collaboration. (more)
There is evidence that brain imaging technology is being used to interrogate suspected terrorists despite concerns that it may not be reliable, and that it might inadvertently promote abuse of detainees, according to a Penn State researcher. He says the risk that such technology could license further abuse of detainees remains ever present, given President Bush's March 8 veto of legislation that would have prohibited the CIA from conducting aggressive interrogations. (more)
