American ISIS fighters likely to be U.S. born

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Chicago: Scholars to discuss study on American face of ISIS with reporters Friday, Feb 3

A new study from the Chicago Project on Security and Threats at the Universityof Chicago and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s CounterTerrorism Policy Centre finds striking patterns among individuals in the United States considered ISIS supporters, including that a large number are U.S.born citizens and engaged in society.

The American Face of ISIS: An analysis of ISIS related terrorism in the U.S., March 2014 – August 2016 challenges widely held assumptions that ISIS supporters are uneducated, isolated and unemployed, while finding almost no refugees among the group studied. The report focuses on 112 U.S. ISIS supporters identified through court documents and other materials.

Produced by CPOST, a leading U.S.based research center on international terrorism, and ASPI, a nonpartisan Australian think tank, the report is one of the most comprehensive nongovernmental studies of such individuals conducted.

WHEN: Friday, Feb. 3 at 9:30 a.m.
WHERE: Vault Conference Room, 33 North LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL 60602

SPEAKERS:
– Robert Pape, CPOST director and professor at the University of Chicago
– Keven Ruby, CPOST senior research associate and report coauthor

For questions, please contact Mark Peters at petersm@uchicago.edu or +1 (773) 702.8356.

The American face of ISIS: Analysis of ISIS-related terrorism in the US March 2014–August 2016

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Contributors: Piper Mik, Sarah Starr, Ala Tineh, Walker Gunning & Jacinta Carroll

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is mobilising sympathisers in the US at rates much higher than seen for previous terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda.

To understand this new American face of ISIS, the Chicago Project on Security and Threats (CPOST) study examined 112 cases of individuals who perpetrated ISIS-related offences, were indicted by the US Justice Department for such offences, or both, in the US between March 2014 and August 2016.

This is the first comprehensive analysis of ISIS-related cases to examine the profiles of indictees overall, as well as to identify characteristics associated with each of the offence types. The findings are striking, and provide a valuable contribution to understanding the contemporary face of ISIS-related terrorism in the US.

Global Terrorism Index 2016 Launch: ASPI, 16 November 2016

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ASPI is pleased to partner with The Institute for Economics and Peace, for the Australian launch of the latest Global Terrorism Index (GTI).

This is the fourth edition of the GTI, which provides a comprehensive summary of key global trends and patterns in terrorism over the last 16 years, covering the period from the beginning of 2000 to the end of 2015. The study analyses the impact of terrorism for 163 countries, covering 99.7% of the world’s population.

Produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace, the GTI is based on data from the Global Terrorism Database, which is collected and collated by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START). The Global Terrorism Database is considered to be the most comprehensive dataset on terrorist activity globally and has now codified over 150,000 terrorist incidents.

Agenda for Change 2016: Strategic choices for the next government

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The defence of Australia’s interests is a core business of federal governments. Regardless of who wins the election on July 2, the incoming government will have to grapple with a wide range of security issues. This report provides a range of perspectives on selected defence and national security issues, as well as a number of policy recommendations.

Contributors include Kim Beazley, Peter Jennings, Graeme Dobell, Shiro Armstrong, Andrew Davies, Tobias Feakin, Malcolm Davis, Rod Lyon, Mark Thomson, Jacinta Carroll, Paul Barnes, John Coyne, David Connery, Anthony Bergin, Lisa Sharland, Christopher Cowan, James Mugg, Simon Norton, Cesar Alvarez, Jessica Woodall, Zoe Hawkins, Liam Nevill, Dione Hodgson, David Lang, Amelia Long and Lachlan Wilson.

ASPI produced a similar brief before the 2013 election. There are some enduring challenges, such as cybersecurity, terrorism and an uncertain global economic outlook. Natural disasters are a constant feature of life on the Pacific and Indian Ocean rim.

But there are also challenges that didn’t seem so acute only three years ago such as recent events in the South China Sea, North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, and ISIS as a military threat and an exporter of global terrorism.

The incumbent for the next term of government will have to deal with these issues.

Launch Video

Security through aid: countering violent extremism and terrorism with Australia’s aid program

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The paper argues that countering violent extremism (CVE) and terrorism are international security and development issues. Australia’s foreign aid should be used to strengthen resilience to violent extremist ideologies. Improving governance in weak states can help to deny terrorists the easy recruiting grounds of lawless communities.

The ASPI report argues that there are  several ways to better leverage our foreign aid program to counter terrorism and violent extremism.

  1. Where a clear need has been identified, implement direct CVE aid programs
  2. Apply a CVE and counter-terrorism ‘filter’ to our aid programs
  3. Develop targeted reporting on CVE aid programs
  4. Use InnovationXchange to explore avenues for implementing CVE into the aid strategy
  5. Share information on CVE and aid
  6. Lead the debate to modernise official development assistance (ODA) reporting

Understanding the al-Shabaab networks

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The Australian Government on 21 August 2009 officially listed the al-Shabaab group as a terrorist organisation.

This paper examines the danger posed by the Somali-based group, and concludes that we are likely to see an increase in Westernised Muslims appearing on the battlefield in Somalia. Eventually we will see some of these men come home. It would not be surprising if there was an increase in localised targeting by these people of Western interests.

Special Report Issue 4 – Are we ready? Healthcare preparedness for catastrophic terrorism

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In this report the authors suggest that while positive steps have been taken in recent years, there are deficiencies in our healthcare system for mass casualty care. It suggests that further steps need to be taken to meet our healthcare preparedness, response and recovery goals for mass casualty incidents.

While recognising that some hospital resource issues would need a response by the States, there are significant steps that can and should be taken by the Australian Government.