Going to Extremes UNOCT International Hub on Behavioural Insights to Counter Terrorism

In our sixth episode, Phil Gurski discusses the trajectory of participation in terrorism stemming from 15 years of experience focussing on radicalization to terrorism with Canada’s Intelligence Service (CSIS/CSE), as well as working in threat and risk consulting and academia (University of Ottawa). Mr Gurski elaborates on the overlap and discrepancies between the data collected for intelligence analysis and research. He outlines commonalities and differences between extremists and violent extremists in identifying violent threat markers, specifically the trajectory of decision-making, which he has observed throughout his career in participating in terrorism related research.

How can neuroscience be applied to countering terrorism and ensuring effective disengagement and reintegration? In our fifth episode, Mike Niconchuk, a neuroscientist, discusses the role of hormones in regulating behaviour, the importance of trauma-informed approaches and the use of mental health and psycho-social support programmes. The episode also delves into how terrorist groups succeed at mobilizing followers and eliciting devotion, and what we can learn from this. The episode wraps up with neuroscientific insights for strategic communication on preventing and countering violent extremism.

In this episode, Dr. Hamid discusses the trajectory of engagement, and he begins by discussing two experiments which concluded on the importance of social exclusion in facilitating radicalization and the power of social norms in regulating it. Dr. Hamid presents several recommendations based on his research; from amplifying non-violent peer group voices to telling stories and for communication purposes, among others.

In our third episode, Professor Bloom discusses engagement into QAnon and provides an assessment of its threat, who it attracts and where in the world it is finding resonance. She then discusses which typologies of followers present a threat and which do not. The episode ends with a discussion on how to communicate with people who have fallen victim to conspiracy theories.

This episode continues to explore the attraction of joining extremist groups and becoming radicalized to commit acts of terrorism. It features Mr. Mubin Sheikh who shares his personal experience going through a period of deradicalization, and becoming counter extremism specialist for the U.S.-based NGO, Parents for Peace, as well as serving as a professor of public safety at Seneca College in Canada. Mubin shares his unique experiences, and the interview unpacks the mechanisms involved in his radicalization, looking at the role of shame, perceived masculinity, ideology, and role-modeling in the process. This episode also outlines a set of recommendations for preventing attraction to terrorism based on Mubin’s own trajectory and reading of the literature.

This episode features Dr. Sophia Moskalenko, a social and clinical psychologist and a research fellow at the Evidence-Based Cybersecurity Group with Georgia State University, who speaks on how and why people are attracted to join extremist groups and become radicalized to commit acts of terrorism. She discusses the role of ideology and the importance of accounting for non-ideological factors, such as emotional triggers and cognitive dissonance.