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Thread on the utility of academic research for counter-terrorism practitioners: I want to reflect today on how academic research impacted my work as a counter-terrorism practitioner. Follow along for some concrete examples. /1
The interplay between academic and practitioner CT work is critical for developing evidence-based policies and practices, and informing research methods used within the practitioner community. /2
To that end, Iâm going to highlight a few articles that informed my work, shifted my thinking, or gave me language to express a phenomenon that I was seeing during my time in government. /3
First up: Back when I was primarily focused on terrorist financing, I came across this gem from @Drjohnhorgan & Max Taylor. Itâs a great article - it really stands the test of time and remains one of the best pieces of research on terrorist financing. /4
Questions & issues posed within it remain unanswered to this day. The clear articulation of different fundraising methods and the specialization of function were foundational to my approach to counter-terrorist financing work. /5 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09546559908427502
Similiarly, @deGoede9 book Speculative Security forced me to think critically about the work that I was engaged in, challenge existing notions vilifying hawala networks. /6
It broadened my thinking about what terrorist financing is and how it should (and should not) be countered./7 https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=5JfLL8rqx1IC&oi=fnd&pg=PP2&dq=info:lX5eD085yN0J:scholar.google.com&ots=meh0i2-0O0&sig=Cth_Sz_ZbpnzBKZaAfWt6Bl_-ss&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
@Emily_Corner & @paulgill_ucl 's work on mental health and terrorism came out at a time where Canada was struggling with a wave of individuals travelling to join the Islamic State & following 2 terrorist attacks, both of which had a mental health component. /8
This work provided me with data and language & helped me challenge other practitioners dismissive of those with mental health issues a threat. It also opened an interesting conversation about how some issues may prevent or delay terrorist action. /9
https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2014-33751-001.html
https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2014-33751-001.html
Not long after I read @BartSchuurman3 and Quirine Eijkman's work on threat assessment using indicators of terrorist intent and capability. This helped shape the next phase of a major analytic work already underway. /10
It solidified our approach away from a focus on ideology and radicalization and towards mobilization - basically, who, amongst all of our radicalized individuals, will actually engage in terrorism. This had significant impact on resource allocation. /12 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17467586.2015.1040426
Around the same time, @mannicrone 's work on radicalization provided useful language and a framework for understanding a phenomenon we were seeing: extremist ideology is not necessarily a precondition for violence. /13
The work also and also highlights that extremist groups attract people for different reasons: some are attracted by ideology, but others are drawn to violence and action. This was pivotal in helping us move away from an over-emphasis on ideology. /14 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1468-2346.12604
Finally, to bookend this with @Drjohnhorgan , his piece with @neilshortland , @NukGrl and Shaun Walsh provided valuable comparative data & shaped our understanding of the terrorist threat and how to assign resources accordingly /15 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27113859/
All this to say - Iâm embarrassed when people suggest that counter-terrorism practitioners have no time or desire to read academic research. This is untrue. Some make time, others donât. /16
I would argue that this is critical for advancing the state of effective CT work, and using the best tools and methods at our disposal. Is all academia work valuable to practitioners? Of course not. /17
But there are some really excellent pieces of work out there that can help guide academics who want to make their work applicable. (But of course - there is still value even if itâs not easily applied to the practitioner space.) /18
And for those of you wondering, yes, this has been a subtweet in 19 parts. /fin
