Gone : Must-reads from FFI, a leading terrorism research center

Monday, March 19, 2007

Must-reads from FFI, a leading terrorism research center

I'm posting links to the recent papers made available by the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, otherwise known as the FFI, which does some of the finest terrorism research in the world.

Political Violence in Saudi Arabia: The Rise and Fall of “al-Qaida on the Arabian Peninsula” by Thomas Hegghammer. Read the manuscript here.
Jihadi Web Media Production: Characteristics, Trends and Future Implications by Dr. Brynjar Lia. Read the manuscript here.

Jihadism Online: Internet Radicalisation and Recruitment by Truls Tønnessen and Anne Stenersen. View their presentation here.
For more FFI publications on terrorism and militant Islamism, see their website.
They offer free subscriptions to their newsletter at terrorism@ffi.no.
Do check out the FFI website.

About me

In fall 2007, I started working for the Kabul Center for Strategic Studies, a think tank founded by Afghans based in Kabul, Afghanistan, to build Afghan policy research expertise.

In 2006 Palgrave published a book I cowrote, "Jihad and International Security," with Jalil Roshandel.

Now I'm watching what I see to be the last gasp of a nonviable movement: militant, insurgent jihadism. This movement has killed many more Muslims than polytheists, infidels, or non-Muslims. It has also done more to damage the image of Islam than any other force in 1400 years of Islamic history.

"Prior to 9/11, who in the modern West ever worried about Islam? The jihadists have succeeded in casting suspicion on an entire religion, a substantial percentage of the world’s population, and centuries of Islamic history, in addition to all the widows and orphans they have created.

"It is unfortunate that Muslims who don’t terrorize people can’t command headlines. But that’s the way the media operates, if it bleeds it leads."

Me, Sharon Chadha, in an interview by Pooja at Instablogs.