2016-10-05

#rpDUB Speaker Peter Neumann: Understanding Online Radicalization

What do we do when platforms for radicalization emerge on the Internet? #rpDUB speaker Peter Neumann is on high alert. From terrorist recruitment in Europe to prison-based de-radicalization programmes, Peter provides an analysis of these fatal processes and most importantly, shares ideas on how to counteract this development. So for a dialogue on radicalization and de-radicalization, ask Peter Neumann, professor of Security Studies at the Department of War Studies at King's College London.

Terrorism is one of the dominant topics of today. There are no borderlines between the Internet and terrorism, we see an extremely intricate process which becomes more apparent looking at Peter Neumann's work. He analyses the fluid characteristics of present-day radicalization in advance, and develops solution-oriented methods of counteracting various forms of insurgency.

Peter has served as the founder and director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) since 2008. He has led research projects and written influential policy reports about online radicalization, foreign fighter networks such as ISIS, terrorist defectors, prison-based de-radicalization programs, and terrorist recruitment in Europe. ICSR's groundbreaking research on foreign fighters has informed policy-makers throughout Europe and North America. Among other things, Peter was a senior consultant for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations during the crafting of the UN Security Council Resolution 2178 on “Foreign Terrorist Fighters” (watch a video here). Peter is also an investigator for the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland. The international think tank concentrates on the causes of (organized) terrorism and its impact on society.

Public counter-measures are the research focus of the policy report "Countering Online Radicalisation: A Strategy for Action”, published in London in 2009. Written in collaboration with Tim Stevens, this report advises governments and civil society on how to counter online radicalization.

We are looking forward to hearing Peter's thoughts and proposals on fighting the constantly changing face of global terrorism in its online occurrences.

@PeterRNeumann

Photo: Peter Neumann