Terrorism and extremism
There is broad agreement on the core meaning of the term ‘terrorism’, but considerable disagreement about its delimitation.
Terrorism can be seen as strategic actions in which violence or threat of violence is used to create fear, gain attention for a cause, or coerce another party to give in to certain demands. The aim is to achieve effects on others beside the direct victims or targets of the violence. Some analysts reserve the term for non-state actors, while others include state terrorism. Some define acts as terrorism only if the actions are directed at civilian targets, while others include all non-combatants (including military targets not involved in the combat). At NUPI, research on terrorism has concentrated especially on the European rim from North Africa to the Caucasus region, and our main instrument for this research is the research programme the Terror Consortium.
Some questions we seek to answer:
- What are the linkages between terrorism, organized crime, weak states and new forms of organized violence?
- How to distinguish between terrorists and freedom fighters?
- What are the political implications of how the various insurgence groups are defined?
News about terrorism and extremism
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David Petraeus visits NUPI
2 Oct 2019NUPI had the pleasure of hosting David H. Petraeus on 30. September. The four-star General (Ret) and former director of CIA shared his insights and prognosis for the geopolitical landscape ahead at the event entitled “Global Security Threats and Western Responses”.
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Turkish Foreign Minister visited NUPI
30 Aug 2019Turkey's Foreign Minister H.E. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu visited NUPI on Friday August 30th.
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How do Islamist movements relate to the modern state?
28 Jun 2019The first research notes from the HYRES project are out, analyzing several very timely questions related to Islamist movements in Mali, Iraq, Libya and Lebanon.
Publications about terrorism and extremism
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Publication
: Popular scientific article
Y-blokka og Syria
2019On the securitisation of different spheres of Norwegian society -
Publication
: Academic chapter/article/Conference paper
A Century of US Diplomatic Security: An Evolutionary Response to a Changing Threat Environment
This chapter traces nearly 100 years of US Diplomatic Security from its pre-WWI origins up to the Obama Administration, describing the key drivers of its qualitative and quantitative expansion through the Cold War into the post 9-11 world. It offers a detailed breakdown of the various roles and missions... -
Publication
: Report
Local Drivers of Violent Extremism in Central Mali
This policy brief examines the processes of violent extremist mobilisation and radicalisation in Mopti, Central Mali. Specifically, it looks at the strategies employed by one of the most salient radical jihadist groups in the region, the Katiba Macina. It seeks to answer the following questions: 1)...
Research projects about terrorism and extremism
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Research project
Preventing Violent Extremism in the Balkans and the MENA: Strengthening Resilience in Enabling Environments (PREVEX)
2020 - 2023 (Ongoing)The overarching objective of PREVEX is to put forward more fine-tuned and effective approaches to preventing violent extremism.
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Research project
Common Fear Factors in Foreign Policy (COMFEAR)
2019 - 2020 (Ongoing)COMFEAR aims to identify key issues of common concern and shared threats as perceived by publics and policymakers in Czechia and Norway.
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Foto: NTB Scanpix
Research project
Fragile states and violent entrepreneurs: conflict, climate, refugees (FRAGVENT)
2018 - 2021 (Ongoing)What forms of authority underpin, enable, and extend violent entrepreneurs in fragile states, and how do the combined effects of fragile states, conflict, and climate impact this?