Violence and Security

Tunisia's Modernization Policies Catalyze Islamist Blowback

July 18, 2016

The disproportionate number of Tunisian jihadis fighting with the Islamic State in Syria, Iraq, and Libya, as well as the role of Tunisians in the spate of Islamist terror assaults in France, points to the blowback against Tunisia's democratic liberalization policies and social modernization strategies.
UN Conference Seeks Media Shift in Migrant Portrayal

July 13, 2016

UNESCO recently partnered with the Russian Federal Research and Methodology Centre for Tolerance, Psychology and Education to organize a conference on how to promote a positive vision of migrants, in the media and elsewhere, as contributors to the UN's agenda on sustainable development.
IS Shifts Foreign Terror Tactics

July 13, 2016

Politico reports that French security authorities have warned of approximately 400 to 500 people who have returned to the country after fighting under the Islamic State who may play a part in the shift of IS tactics toward car bombs and other remote attacks permitting the assailants to avoid being killed during their operations.
UN Agent Calls for Local Action on Xenophobia

July 12, 2016

As part of the UN's expanded messaging countering perceived xenophobia and intolerance against migrants, the UN Special Rapporteur on racism and xenophobia, Mutuma Ruteere, has called for local and context-specific government action responding to hate speech and other forms of intolerance rooted in xenophobia.
UNESCO Counters "Media Myths" on Migrants

July 12, 2016

The UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization has created a curriculum for media training institutions seeking to correct "myths" about migrants and refugees entering Western countries and pushing the message that mass migration helps host countries and does not contribute to threats of terrorism.
EU Hosts Meeting on Migrant Integration, Tolerance

July 12, 2016

First Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans recently hosted a meeting with representatives from "philosophical and non-confessional organisations" to discuss how to advance the integration of migrants in European society, as well as "how to address the rise of populism and intolerance" in the EU.
Fallujah Campaign Raises Questions About Shia Sectarianism

July 11, 2016

The transfer of control of the city of Fallujah from the Islamic State to Iran-backed Shiite militias raises questions about the turnstile of sectarian Islamist extremism that has enabled the proliferation of jihadi groups projecting violence beyond the Mideast.
IS Demonstrates Resilience in Face of Military Defeats

July 11, 2016

Islamic State leaders have responded to recent military defeats in Iraq and Syria by adapting field tactics to suicide bombings and civilian terrorism and by increasing attention in IS propaganda platforms to focus on covert penetration and local disruption, worrisome signs of IS's strategic approach and ideological appetite for an unrelenting, unending jihadi war.
Bin Laden's Son Threatens Revenge Attacks Against US

July 11, 2016

Osama Bin Laden's son has issued an audio message threatening revenge attacks against the US at home and abroad as part of a broader branding effort by al-Qaeda's leadership to grow youth support for the Islamist extremist organization's jihadi operations.
Islamism in Bangladesh Presents Policy Challenges

July 11, 2016

Effective responses to the increasing episodes of violence by radical Islamists in Bangladesh present a serious policy challenge to the country's political elites, who have failed to address the penetration of al-Qaeda and Islamic State operatives among returning Islamist fighters.