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: info@terrorismanalysts.com).
Center, Project, Program, Issue |
Affiliated Organization, Institute |
Location |
Dhaka, Bangladesh |
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Michigan State University; Carnegie Mellon University; Drexel University; Northern Arizona University; University of Arizona; University of California at Berkeley; University of Michigan |
East Lansing, Michigan, United States |
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Charlotte, North Carolina, United States |
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Monterey, California, United States |
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Beijing, China |
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Center for Interdisciplinary Policy, Education, and Research on Terrorism (CIPERT) |
Center for Homeland Defense and Security and the Center on Terrorism and Irregular Warfare, Naval Postgraduate School; Pacific Graduate School of Psychology |
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University of Cincinnati; Turkish National Police Organization |
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Washington, DC, United States |
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New York City, New York, United States |
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San Antonio, Texas, United States |
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Wollongong, Australia |
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Washington, DC, United States |
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New York City, New York, United States |
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
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Monterey, California, United States |
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Stockholm, Sweden |
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Centre for Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism (PICT) |
Sydney, Australia |
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Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Contemporary Political Violence (CSRV) |
Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, United Kingdom |
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The Hague, Netherlands |
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Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV) |
St. Andrews, Scotland |
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London, England |
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Knoxville, Tennessee, United States |
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Wollongong, Australia |
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Rome, Italy |
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Washington, DC, United States |
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Chicago, Illinois, United States |
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New York City, New York, United States |
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West Point, New York, United States |
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Singapore |
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Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, Arizona State University |
Tempe, Arizona, United States |
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Washington, DC, United States |
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Washington, DC, United States |
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New York City, New York, United States |
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Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Eller College of Management, University of Arizona |
Tucson, Arizona, United States |
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Washington, DC, United States |
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Washington, DC, United States |
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Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
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Washington, DC, United States |
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Homeland Security Policy Institute, George Washington University |
Washington, DC, United States |
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Defense and Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies |
Washington, DC, United States |
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James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University |
Houston, Texas, United States |
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Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism (INSCT) |
Syracuse, New York, United States |
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New Haven, Connecticut, United States |
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Institut fur Terrorismusforschung & Sicherheitspolitik (IFTUS) |
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Essen, Germany |
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
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Washington, DC, United States |
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International Association for Counterterrorism & Security Professionals (IACSP) |
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Arlington, Virginia, United States |
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State College, Pennsylvania, United States |
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Jerusalem, Israel |
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International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR) |
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore |
Singapore |
London, England |
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Herzliya, Israel |
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Italian Team for Security, Terroristic Issues & Managing Emergencies (ITSTIME) |
Milan, Italy |
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London, England |
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Washington, DC, United States |
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Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
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Meir Amit Intelligence & Terrorism Information Center (ITIC) |
Gelilot, Israel |
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Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States |
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Monterey, California, United States |
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National Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense (FAZD Center) |
College Station, Texas, United States |
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National Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE) |
Los Angeles, California, United States |
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Center for Interdisciplinary Policy, Education, and Research on Terrorism |
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National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) |
College Park, Maryland, United States |
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St. Petersburg, Florida, United States |
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Washington, DC, United States |
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Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, Inc. (PIPVTR) |
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Teachers Village East, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines |
Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University |
Cairo, Egypt |
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Madrid, Spain |
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Washington, DC, United States |
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London, England |
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Washington, DC, United States |
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Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
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Washington, DC, United States |
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Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC) |
Fairfax, Virginia, United States |
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Nelson Center for International and Public Affairs, James Madison University |
Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States |
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University of Michigan Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research |
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States |
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Washington, DC, United States |
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Washington, DC, United States |
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New Delhi, India |
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New York City, New York, United States |
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Washington, DC, United States |
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New Delhi, India |
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Washington, DC, United States |
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New York City, New York, United States |
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Washington, DC, United States |
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Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States |
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New York City, New York, United States |
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Duke University; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; RTI International |
Durham, North Carolina, United States |
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Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States |
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London, England |
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Violent Intranational Political Conflict & Terrorism Research Laboratory (VIPCAT) |
Institute for the Theory and Practice of International Relations, College of William and Mary |
Williamsburg, Virginia, United States |
Homeland Security Policy Institute, George Washington University |
Washington, DC, United States |