21 March 2024
Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses (CTTA) – Volume 16 Issue 02
Editorial Note: ICPVTR’s 20th Anniversary Special Edition
2024 marks twenty years since the creation of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism (ICPVTR), which started as a research programme and subsequently morphed into a specialist centre. Consistent with this milestone, the current issue has examined four broad but interrelated terrorism issues: the role of think-tanks in fostering an awareness about terrorist threats, contemporary themes for future terrorism research, challenges of data gathering as well as the evolution of the threat landscape in South and Southeast Asia. As a leading counterterrorism think-tank in the region, ICPVTR has endeavoured to provide high-quality policy research and will continue diligently in this task in future as well.
In an era of great power competition, where terrorism and counterterrorism appear to have been deprioritised by certain authorities, the threat has become more diverse and complex. Despite being weakened religiously motivated terrorism persists, and the threat from violent ethno-nationalist wave, in the form of several far-right groups, is gaining ground. The emergence of new technologies, proliferation of violence in conflict areas, weaponisation of everyday life and the declining resources made available to address transnational jihadist threats by many states, leave enough gaps for terrorist groups to endure. The diffused and de-territorialised nature of terrorism, i.e., lacking a clear centre of gravity, makes it a potent threat.
Going forward, the international community will have to leverage the pre-existing counterterrorism partnership networks to monitor the threat and switch from a international community-led, partner-enabled strategy to a partner-led, international community-enabled counterterrorism framework. Given the shrinking ability of many states to meaningfully counter the diffused terrorism threat, it is crucial to invest in robust non-kinetic measures and expand counterterrorism partnerships to include social media companies, civil society organisations and the think-tank fraternity.
Against this backdrop, this issue has shone light on four distinct areas of terrorism, mentioned above, with a futuristic perspective to guide policy-makers and terrorism researchers about the threat’s evolution. The first article by Rohan Gunaratna discusses the establishment of ICPVTR, before tracing how the Centre has evolved over the two decades since. Highlighting key milestones, initiatives and projects in the Centre’s 20-year long history, the author, in his capacity as the founding head, explains how ICPVTR has remained dynamic in responding to an ever-shifting extremism landscape and building the necessary counter terrorism capacities.
Next, another former ICPVTR head Kumar Ramakrishna outlines the trends and patterns in region-specific and global terrorism which have shaped ICPVTR’s research agenda over the past 20 years. The author highlights in particular the shift towards lone-actor terrorism, as well as the evolving role of women and youth in violent extremism. Other increasingly visible themes examined include the proliferation of right-wing extremism, the phenomenon of so-called salad bar ideology and the counter terrorism challenges posed by emerging technologies, among others.
The third article by Kenneth Yeo and Benjamin Mok explores how terrorism research has evolved since the turn of the millennium in response to innovations in research methods, data gathering techniques, and emerging technologies. Beginning with a discussion on the issue of data scarcity, the authors then pivot to consider how nascent data-mining and data analysis techniques as well as emerging technologies such as generative Artificial Intelligence, have democratised access to information and enabled a broader range of perspectives in terrorism research.
Finally, Abdul Basit and Alif Satria examine the evolution of terrorism in South and Southeast Asia since the early 2000s, through the lens of major events such as the 9/11 attacks, the 2012 Syrian conflict, the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Taliban takeover and, more recently, the 2023 Hamas-Israel conflict. In doing so, the authors demonstrate how terrorism has persisted and diversified over the past 20 years, and discuss how the co-existence of religious and far right ethnonationalist terrorism is driving the present fifth wave of terrorism.
HTML Article Versions
Kenneth Yeo and Benjamin Mok – From Gates to Grids: Future of Terrorism Research
Editorial Note: ICPVTR’s 20th Anniversary Special Edition
2024 marks twenty years since the creation of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism (ICPVTR), which started as a research programme and subsequently morphed into a specialist centre. Consistent with this milestone, the current issue has examined four broad but interrelated terrorism issues: the role of think-tanks in fostering an awareness about terrorist threats, contemporary themes for future terrorism research, challenges of data gathering as well as the evolution of the threat landscape in South and Southeast Asia. As a leading counterterrorism think-tank in the region, ICPVTR has endeavoured to provide high-quality policy research and will continue diligently in this task in future as well.
In an era of great power competition, where terrorism and counterterrorism appear to have been deprioritised by certain authorities, the threat has become more diverse and complex. Despite being weakened religiously motivated terrorism persists, and the threat from violent ethno-nationalist wave, in the form of several far-right groups, is gaining ground. The emergence of new technologies, proliferation of violence in conflict areas, weaponisation of everyday life and the declining resources made available to address transnational jihadist threats by many states, leave enough gaps for terrorist groups to endure. The diffused and de-territorialised nature of terrorism, i.e., lacking a clear centre of gravity, makes it a potent threat.
Going forward, the international community will have to leverage the pre-existing counterterrorism partnership networks to monitor the threat and switch from a international community-led, partner-enabled strategy to a partner-led, international community-enabled counterterrorism framework. Given the shrinking ability of many states to meaningfully counter the diffused terrorism threat, it is crucial to invest in robust non-kinetic measures and expand counterterrorism partnerships to include social media companies, civil society organisations and the think-tank fraternity.
Against this backdrop, this issue has shone light on four distinct areas of terrorism, mentioned above, with a futuristic perspective to guide policy-makers and terrorism researchers about the threat’s evolution. The first article by Rohan Gunaratna discusses the establishment of ICPVTR, before tracing how the Centre has evolved over the two decades since. Highlighting key milestones, initiatives and projects in the Centre’s 20-year long history, the author, in his capacity as the founding head, explains how ICPVTR has remained dynamic in responding to an ever-shifting extremism landscape and building the necessary counter terrorism capacities.
Next, another former ICPVTR head Kumar Ramakrishna outlines the trends and patterns in region-specific and global terrorism which have shaped ICPVTR’s research agenda over the past 20 years. The author highlights in particular the shift towards lone-actor terrorism, as well as the evolving role of women and youth in violent extremism. Other increasingly visible themes examined include the proliferation of right-wing extremism, the phenomenon of so-called salad bar ideology and the counter terrorism challenges posed by emerging technologies, among others.
The third article by Kenneth Yeo and Benjamin Mok explores how terrorism research has evolved since the turn of the millennium in response to innovations in research methods, data gathering techniques, and emerging technologies. Beginning with a discussion on the issue of data scarcity, the authors then pivot to consider how nascent data-mining and data analysis techniques as well as emerging technologies such as generative Artificial Intelligence, have democratised access to information and enabled a broader range of perspectives in terrorism research.
Finally, Abdul Basit and Alif Satria examine the evolution of terrorism in South and Southeast Asia since the early 2000s, through the lens of major events such as the 9/11 attacks, the 2012 Syrian conflict, the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Taliban takeover and, more recently, the 2023 Hamas-Israel conflict. In doing so, the authors demonstrate how terrorism has persisted and diversified over the past 20 years, and discuss how the co-existence of religious and far right ethnonationalist terrorism is driving the present fifth wave of terrorism.
HTML Article Versions
Kenneth Yeo and Benjamin Mok – From Gates to Grids: Future of Terrorism Research
