Violence and Security

"Virtual Caliphate" Doesn't Mean End of Islamic State

October 06, 2017

The shift to a "virtual caliphate" with the likely military defeat of the Islamic State (IS) in its core caliphate territories does not mean the termination of IS, but rather, implies a shift to cyber and online tactics and new battlefield theatres of operation, based on the resilience of IS' globalized struggle for territory and ideology in the name of the caliphate.
France Shuts down Deradicalization Program

October 04, 2017

Raising questions about the capability of such programs to prevent Islamist recruitment in the West, the French state has shuttered a year-old, €80 million counter-radicalization program aimed at deprogramming returning jihadis and at preventing Islamist radicalization of youth.
UNSC Votes Unanimously for IS War Crimes Investigation

September 27, 2017

The UN Security Council (UNSC) voted unanimously on a resolution calling on the Secretary General to form an Investigative Team, headed by a Special Adviser, mandated to collect, preserve, and store evidence of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity that were committed by Islamic State (IS) actors in Iraq for prosecution in Iraqi and international courts.
Decline of IS Boosts Global Shiite Aims

September 25, 2017

The ongoing military decline of the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria is creating a paradoxical new threat to Mideast stability, as the degradation of the Sunni caliphate has removed a significant impediment to the project of global Shiite radical imperialism supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
IS Uses Irish Students for Money Laundering

September 25, 2017

Islamic State (IS) operatives are targeting students in Ireland's university system to dupe them into establishing bank accounts that can be used for money laundering and false documentation to support Islamist terrorism.
IS Drone Fleet Presents Emerging Security Threat

September 25, 2017

The Islamic State (IS) has developed a lethal drone fleet with both surveillance and attack capabilities, amounting to an emerging, resilient threat to Western and global stability that may threaten critical infrastructure inside the United States.
NGOs Criticize Saudi, Iranian Actions in Yemen

September 25, 2017

International humanitarian agencies are condemning the Saudi-Iran battle for Sunni-versus-Shiite Islamist dominance in the Middle East for producing "the world's worst humanitarian crisis," with some aid groups particularly criticizing Saudi Arabia’s blockade of emergency food.
UN, Saudi Arabian Foundation Host Forum for "Tolerance"

September 21, 2017

The UN Development Programme and the Saudi Arabia-based Misk Foundation recently hosted a forum in New York with the aim of teaching youth to fulfill the UN Sustainable Development Goals by "sparking dialogue on issues of tolerance, peace and sustainability" and preventing violent extremism.
OSCE: Respect Prisoner Rights to Counter Extremism

September 21, 2017

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights recently co-hosted an event in Warsaw calling for national compliance with the global human rights agenda as a "central component" of countering violent extremism and radicalization in prisons.
OSCE Meeting Combats "Hatred" in Public Space

September 21, 2017

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE) Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina recently hosted a meeting of 31 "Coalitions against Hate" as part of the security organization's "Super Citizens" initiative aimed at developing "positive messages to counter hatred in the society" and combat "negative discourse in the public space."