Category: Insights
A Note of Caution about the Use of Force
“A state is a human community that [successfully] claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory.”Max Weber The above…
RE: Calls to merge the BND and the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV)
While both the BND and the BfV deal with the prevention of terrorism, to merge the two under the Ministry of the Interior, and to…
Lone Wolves – in a Broader Sense of the Term
A number of analysts have identified a pattern behind the recent, terrorist events in France, Austria, and elsewhere. During the first months of Covid-19, there…
Extremism, Hate Speech, and Terrorism
How to understand terrorism as opposed to other forms of extremism? Extremism is an overarching phenomenon. It comprises violent extremism, also known as terrorism, but…
Human Rights and the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy
From 29 June to 3 July 2020, the 2nd Counter-Terrorism Week was to be held at the UN Headquarters in New York. At the heart…
A comment relating to the Time article ‘Inside the Dangerous Mission to Understand What Makes Extremists Tick—and How to Change Their Minds’
Despite the shortcomings of thought pieces, media analyses and desk research are important in their own right. They can shed light on aspects previously neglected….
To What Extent Has Covid-19 Fostered Radicalism, So Far?
Many experts have expressed their view that the Corona pandemic has led to an increase in radicalization. While numbers in terrorist attacks, at least in…
Using the Full Expression Instead of the Word Incel
There is the relatively new phenomenon of so-called incels. Caution is of the order as to the use of the word, short for “involuntary celibates,”…
