Fighting Terror

Today's fourth episode of our series on blasphemy will focus on the worldwide protests against the Danish cartoons of the Muslim Prophet, also known as the case of Jyllands-Posten. Lucinda speaks with author of The Cartoons that Shook the World ,  Dr. Jytte Klausen, who will be able to offer a distinct perspective and unique insight into her experience of freedom of expression. Together they...

Today's third episode of our series on blasphemy will focus on the Quran burning incidents that have occurred in Scandinavia recently. Lucinda speaks with distinguished counterterrorism expert Dr. Magnus Ranstorp to try to understand the reactions as well as the political and social impact the incidents have had thus far.  Magnus has been researching counterterrorism and CVE issues for almost...

Today's second episode of Fighting Terror's new series will shed light on the concept of blasphemy in Islamic theology and its significance within the religion. Lucinda speaks with Professor Jocelyne Cesari who will offer insights into the concept of blasphemy and its historical roots and how some Islamist extremist groups use blasphemy to further their agendas and mobilise followers, as...

What is blasphemy and blasmphemy violence and what drives violence against perceived blasmphemers? Who are the main victims and perpetrators of blasmphemy violence? How did the Salman Rushdie affair shape perceptions and discussions around blasphemy in the Western world and are there risks associated with curtailing freedom of expression? The first episode of Fighting Terror’s new series on blasph...

In today's final episode of CEP’s Eye on Antisemitism, Lucinda turns to the EU and looks at what they are currently doing to combat antisemitism. She speaks with Katharina von Schnurbein who is the European Commission Coordinator for the EU strategy on combatting antisemitism and fostering Jewish life. Katharina was appointed the first European Commission Coordinator on combating antisemitism...

Today marks the two-year anniversary of the Taliban takeover and the fall of Kabul. In this episode, Lucinda and CEP Senior Director Hans-Jakob Schindler discuss the past, present and future of Afghanistan, the Taliban takeover, women's rights, and EU recommendations. From 2001 until 2005, Hans headed the federal government of Germany's team investigating al-Qaida in Afghanistan, Pakista...

What are some of the key factors contributing to the rise of antisemitism in France? How is the dynamic between the Jewish and Muslim communities in Toulouse, and what efforts have been made to address and bridge these divides? Why are Jews leaving France and does that have an impact on the Jewish community and the broader society? In today’s fifth episode of CEP’s Eye on Antisemitism series, Luci...

In today's fourth episode of CEP's Eye on Antisemitism series, Lucinda speaks with Fiyaz Mughal about antisemitism among native-born immigrant communities in the United Kingdom. They discuss Fiyaz's work in the field of preventing extremism and working towards racial equality and Fiyaz shares his expert insights into how to create meaningful connections between Muslim and Jewish com...

In today’s third episode of CEP’s Eye on Antisemitism series, Lucinda will delve into how antisemitism manifests among right-wing extremists in Germany with guest Marina Chernivsky. How does the growth of right-wing political movements in Germany influence the prevalence of antisemitic sentiments? Are there any connections between antisemitism and broader issues like nationalism, xenophobia, or Is...

In today's second episode of the Eye on Antisemitism, Lucinda delves into the complex issue of antisemitism among the left-wing extremists in the United Kingdom (UK), specifically looking at the UK political landscape. How has the Labour Party, which is historically associated with left-wing politics in the UK, addressed or failed to address the issue of left-wing antisemitism within its rank...

How is antisemitism defined? What is the current state of antisemitism in Europe and the United States (U.S.)? How have recent global events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, contributed to the popularity of antisemitic conspiracy theories among extremists? The first podcast episode in our new series on antisemitism will provide our listeners with a deeper understanding of antisemitism and current t...

In today’s episode, Lucinda is joined by CEP Senior Advisor Alexander Ritzmann. He leads the work of CEP Berlin on violent far-right extremist or terrorist (transnational) networks, both offline and online. Together they take a closer look at a recently published CEP study, titled Transnational linkages between violent right-wing extremism, terrorism and organized crime, of which the main author i...

In today’s episode, Lucinda speaks with Liam Duffy, CEP Strategic Advisor. They discuss the findings of the recent Manchester Arena Inquiry, which is the third - and final - report of the inquiry. Chaired by Sir John Saunders, this report focuses on radicalisation and preventability. Liam sheds some light on what the inquiry is all about, the tragedy that occurred back in 2017 in Manchester, the r...

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in cases that raise questions about liability shields afforded to tech companies under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.  In this breaking news episode, Lucinda speaks with Dr. Hany Farid, Senior Advisor to CEP and professor at University of California, Berkley. Hany is CEP's in-house expert when it comes to digital forensics...

Last Wednesday, the long-awaited Prevent review was published by the Home Office. Led by William Shawcross, who was appointed Independent Reviewer of Prevent in 2021, the review sets out to understand how effectively this strand of the government’s counterterrorism strategy works and how it can be improved.  But what is Prevent? Why was it created and why was last week's review commissioned i...

In today's episode of our series on the 4R Network, Lucinda speaks to two former extremists, Ryan Lo’Ree and Bryant Vinas.  Ryan was once a right-wing extremist with one of the largest Nazi movements in the United States. After being confined, Ryan went through a process of transformation that focused on healing from trauma. As part of his healing and deradicalization, Ryan created the Team R...

In today's episode of our series on the 4R Network, Lucinda talks to Mitch Silber. He is the executive director of the Community Security Initiative, visiting lecturer at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and the author of the book The Al Qaeda Factor & Radicalization in the West . Mr. Silber’s CV is extensive, ranging from more than 20 years of experience i...

In today's episode of our series on the 4R Network, Lucinda speaks with social neuroscientist Mike Niconchuk and Noah Tucker, consultant for CEP’s Rehabilitation & Reintegration project in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.  As an applied neuroscience researcher and practitioner, Mike Niconchuk focuses on trauma recovery in conflict-affected populations, and the relationship between trauma, extre...

In today's episode of our series on the 4R Network, Lucinda talks to Dr. Vivian Khedari DePierro. She is the Chief Psychologist & Director of Research at Beyond Conflict, who also happen to be our partners in this 4R Network endeavour. As a Clinical Psychologist, Vivian focuses on the development and evaluation of accessible and culturally-tailored approaches to trauma recovery among comm...

In today's episode of our series on the 4R Network, Lucinda speaks to co-authors of Pastels and Pedophiles: Inside the Mind of Qanon Dr. Sophia Moskalenko and Dr. Mia Bloom. Sophia is a psychologist studying mass identity, inter-group conflict, and conspiracy theories. She has written several books, including the award-winning Friction: How Conflict Radicalizes Them and Us . Mia is a fellow w...

In today’s episode of our series on the 4R Network, Lucinda speaks to Sofia Koller and Jorgos Sotiriadis. Sofia is a Senior Research Analyst at the CEP Berlin office. Her research focuses on the prosecution, reintegration, rehabilitation of returned foreign fighters into European states, specifically female offenders.  Jorgos Sotiriadis is a consultant in the Working Group on Strategies of Prevent...

In today’s second episode of our series on the 4R Network, Lucinda speaks with Ian Acheson, Senior Advisor to the Counter Extremism Project. Ian has long been involved in prison security and counter-terrorism. In 1994, he joined Her Majesty’s Prison Service as a prison officer, rising rapidly to governor rank. In 2015, Ian led an independent review of Islamist extremism in prisons and probation in...

In today's first episode of our series on the 4R Network, Lucinda speaks to Juncal, Programme Manager at the Counter Extremism Project and Co-founder of Parallel Networks (PN), a non-profit organisation dedicated to combating polarization, hate and extremism. Juncal has gained professional experience researching conflicts, forced migrations, organized crime and security. Her research has deve...

Last week, various media outlets were reporting that the German government has formally taken a decision to start the withdrawal of troops, which are stationed in Mali for the UN peacekeeping mission. Germany is not alone amongst its EU partners in making this call. What does this mean for extremism and terrorism in the wider Sahel region and what does this mean for the future of Mali? In this bre...

A term that has become a ubiquitous part of public discourse on terrorism and radical Islam ever since the rise of al Qaeda and ISIL/Da'esh back in 2014/15 is the term jihad. In today’s last episode of the miniseries on Eye on Islamism, we will shift gear and focus on the current threat of jihadism and its potential evolution. In this episode, Lucinda Creighton speaks with Liam Duffy who is a...