PATHWAYS TO AND FROM VIOLENT EXTREMISM: THE CASE FOR SCIENCE-BASED FIELD RESEARCH [3.10.10] By Scott Atran Statement Before the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats & Capabilities “Pathways to and From Violent Extremism: The Case for Science-Based Field Research” A Statement by Scott Atran SCOTT ATRAN, an anthropologist, is Director of Research, ARTIS Research and Risk Modeling; Research Associate and Visiting Professor, Psychology and Public Policy, University of Michigan; Presidential Scholar, Sociology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice; Director of Research, Anthropology, National Center for Scientific Research, Paris; and author, In Gods We Trust. Scott Atran’s Edge Bio Page … Continue reading Pathways to and From Violent Extremism: The Case for Science-Based Field Research

Noor Huda Ismail: Changing the minds of ex-combatants Prodita Sabarini ,  The Jakarta Post Courtesy of Noor Huda Ismail Noor Huda Ismail said he was once a hardliner. When he studied at Ngruki Islamic boarding school in Central Java, he aspired to join the jihad in Afghanistan. He wanted Indonesia to be an Islamic state, and joined the Darul Islam – a hardline group Jemaah Islamiyah is said to have splintered from — to support the movement. Now, the 38-year-old is a moderate Muslim, fighting terrorism by embracing ex-combatants, “de-radicalizing” them using a personal approach, training and courses. He founded … Continue reading Changing the minds of ex-combatants

Systematic deradicalization program needed: Expert Prodita Sabarini ,  The Jakarta Post The war against terror is a war of ideologies. It can only be won by changing extremists’ belief in the use of violence, an expert in Indonesian extremism says. Executive director of the Institute of International Peace Building, Noor Huda Ismail, believes terrorism can be rooted out of society, particularly in Indonesia, but the government and civil society should place more emphasis on “deradicalizing” extremists. The Institute is an organization that aims to rehabilitate former terrorists. “[Terrorism can be rooted out] because the grievances are not real, unlike in … Continue reading Systematic deradicalization program needed

Pakistan’s child soldiers By Kalsoom Lakhani On Sunday, the Washington Post covered the progress of a new boarding school established to rehabilitate and deradicalize former child militants in Swat Valley, Pakistan. The army-sponsored center currently houses 86 young boys who were either captured by the military or brought in by their families. According to the Post, “Some had been trained by insurgent groups as slaves or thieves, some as bombers.” The rehabilitation and study of these boys could provide deeper insight into the indoctrination of child militants in Pakistan as well as the broader psychology of child soldiers as a … Continue reading Is anyone actually deradicalising Pakistani kids that were brainwashed by the Taliban?

Taiwan plans to rule the waves By James Holmes and Toshi Yoshihara The Republic of China Navy (ROCN), or Taiwan Navy, has an ambitious vision for its future strategy. According to the “ROC Navy Vision”, which is available on the navy’s website, “Based on the guidance of ‘command and control automation, three-dimensional mobile strike capabilities and missile-oriented weapon system’, and through measures such as enhancing intelligence reconnaissance and surveillance, extending strike zone depth, expanding combat radius, accelerating response and contingency protection, the navy aims to construct an effective deterring and three-dimensional mobile strike force that is elite, highly efficient, rapidly … Continue reading Taiwan plans a sea Empire?

Hidden costs of US’s drone reliance By Brian M Downing With the change of presidents in 2009, many observers expected to see a decline in unmanned aircraft strikes inside Pakistan. After all, these drone attacks were widely seen as part of the George W Bush administration’s heavy-handed approach to going after terrorists along the AfPak line. The Barack Obama administration, many thought, would curtail the program in favor of subtler methods. Instead, there were 53 strikes from Predator and Reaper drones last year, the first year of the Obama administration, a rise of almost 50% from the 36 in 2008, … Continue reading Costs of US’s drone reliance

Obama kickstarts India’s nuclear deal By MK Bhadrakumar The relationship between the United States and India, which lately showed signs of stress, was revamped on Monday with the announcement that the two countries have completed the “arrangements and procedures” for US-origin spent nuclear fuel to be reprocessed in India. A major stumbling block for the “operationalization” of the civil nuclear cooperation agreement signed in 2008 by the US and India has been removed. It took tough negotiations to reach the accord. The US had previously given such reprocessing rights only to the European Atomic Energy Community and Japan. The timing … Continue reading Obama kickstarts India’s nuclear deal

Pakistan roots to Moscow attack? By Syed Saleem Shahzad ISLAMABAD – Monday’s twin suicide attacks by female bombers in the Moscow metro system in which at least 38 people were killed and 64 injured were most likely planned and executed by people trained in Pakistan’s tribal areas. The head of the Federal Security Service (FSB – formerly the KGB), under whose headquarters the attacks took place, immediately pointed a finger at insurgents linked to the North Caucasus, saying the assumption was based partly on fragments of the suicide bombers’ bodies. “Our preliminary theory is that these terrorist attacks were carried … Continue reading Pakistan mullahs being blamed for Moscow attack?

West provokes China’s ‘hardened’ stance By Jian Junbo SHANGHAI – Outsiders believe that China is hardening its foreign policy, citing a number of recent events. But from China’s viewpoint, the United States and Europe have provoked it into taking a tougher position. Looking at China’s rejection of US demands at the Copenhagen climate change summit, the Google incident and Beijing’s strong opposition to US President Barack Obama’s meeting with the Dalai Lama, Western observers say China is clearly hardening its stance. They also point to China’s strong reaction to US arms sales to Taiwan, the trial of four former employees … Continue reading China’s ‘hardened’ stance provoked by West?

From Hollywood to Chollywood By Francesco Sisci BEIJING – In the next five to 10 years, the Chinese film market could well become the largest in the world. The calculations are simple: the market grew by almost 44% last year, and about 30% in 2008. Last year, it was worth US$908 million – about a tenth of the $9.79 billion of US revenues in the previous year. At the current rate, the Chinese film market will outgrow the American market in five to 10 years. Yet the story is not simply one of economics; above all, it’s about culture. Our … Continue reading Hollywood to Chollywood