North Carolina's Research Triangle - Providing Security Through Research, Technology, and Ideas
The Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security's mission is to promote the national security by advancing our understanding of terrorism and the means to combat it through research, teaching, and developing partnerships between universities, industry and government.
Counterterrorism and Public Policy Fellowship Program:
The Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security, in partnership with Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy, launched the Counterterrorism and Public Policy Fellowship Program in August, 2012. The program is designed to provide professionals in the national security and counterterrorism fields with an intensive educational experience that will enhance their understanding of the American policy making process, empower them to operate more effectively at higher level leadership and staff positions, and deepen their understanding of and familiarity with the counterterrorism and national security issues they will likely confront in their careers. The fellowship will provide foundational instruction in national security studies and the policy making process, as well as more directed courses in areas such as intelligence, national security and counterterrorism policy, and regional studies. The Fellowship fulfills the Senior Service Education (SSE) requirements for military officers and other U.S. national security professionals. For additional information, please visit our website or check out news coverage of the program.
Upcoming Events:
"Faith, Fear & Freedom"
April 18, 2013 (7:00 -9:00 pm)*
The Garage, Bay 4, Smith Warehouse (Duke University
Join the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security, the Duke Islamic Studies Center, and WRAL for a screening and post-screening discussion of this WRAL documentary. Panelists for the follow-on discussion include Triangle Center Director, David Schanzer; Duke Muslim Chaplain, Abdullah Antepli; Community Member, Amna Balach; and UNC-Chapel Hill Professor of Islamic Studies, Carl Ernst. This event will be moderated by WRAL's David Crabtree. Additional information on the documentary can be found on the WRAL website. [Official Press Release]. Post-event information can be found here.
*Can't make the event? Join us for a live viewing on the Duke Islamic Studies Center YouTube Channel!
News:
Articles related to the Boston Bombing:
- Immediate Reaction: Boston Bombing
- Enemy Combatant status
- "Beware of Easy Answers to the 'Who Dropped the Ball?' Question"
Triangle Center Director on PFC Bradley Manning.
Triangle Center Director, David Schanzer, presents on "World at Large."
Triangle Center Director, David Schanzer, addreses the need to reset police-Muslim relations in the current political climate.
The Triangle Center on the Institute for Defense and Business (IDB) welcomed the inaugural class of UNC-IDB Fellows this past summer.
Created at the request of the U.S. Army, the five-week course taught high-potential senior captains to look at national security issues from a more strategic level.
Publications
Muslim American Terrorism Declining Further
Charles Kurzman (UNC-Chapel Hill)
A new study prepared by the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security has proven that Muslim-American Terrorism has continued to decline throughout 2012. Fourteen Muslim-Americans committed or were charged with terrorist crimes in 2012, down from 21 in 2011, 26 in 2010 and 49 in 2009. TCTHS Director David Schanzer notes that “not only is the number of incidents dropping, but the more recent terrorists are less skilled and have fewer connections with international terrorist organizations than offenders in prior years.”
What the Next President Needs to Know about Countering Violent Extremism
Video of Event
Prepared Paper
TCTHS Report Released 2/8/2012 Shows Muslim American Terrorism Continued to Decline in 2011
A new study released today (Feb. 8) by the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security documents that concerns of counterterrorism officials about a potential wave of homegrown violent extremism have not materialized over the past two years. The study, “Muslim-American Terrorism in the Decade Since 9/11,” reports that 20 Muslim-Americans committed or were arrested for terrorist crimes in 2011, down from 26 in 2010 and 49 in 2009. Charles Kurzman, author of the study, can be reached at kurzman@unc.edu.
Additional Links:
Terrorism by Muslim Americans Down in 2010. A study released by the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security shows that the number of Muslim-Americans who perpetrated or were arrested for terrorist acts declined sharply in 2010. The author of the study, Charles Kurzman, Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, said, “Of course, even a single terrorist plot is too many. But this trend offers a challenge for the American public: If we ratchet up our security concerns when the rate of terrorism rises, should we ratchet down our concerns when it falls?”
Anti-Terror Lessons of Muslim American Communities, a report co-authored by Triangle Center Director David Schanzer, along with Charles Kurzman of UNC and Ebrahim Moosa of Duke, analyzes the extent of terrorist violence by Muslim-Americans since 9/11 and identifies strategies to head off “home-grown” terrorism. The report is a culmination of two years of research in Muslim-American communities in Seattle, Houston, Buffalo and Raleigh-Durham.
"Muslim American Terrorism Since 9-11: Why So Rare?" This article, written by Triangle Center Director, David Schanzer and Triangle Center affiliates, Charlies Kurzman (UNC-CH) and Ebrahim Moosa (Duke University), was published in the July 2011 edition of the Muslim World Journal.
Triangle Center Reaction: “National Strategy for Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism”
“The strategy released today will help prevent homegrown terrorism in the United States. It properly recognizes that we face multiple threats, but that the threat inspired by the al-Qaeda ideology is the most severe. To address this threat, we must fully engage all levels of government with immigrant, minority, and isolated communities. Community policing, where local law enforcement works with community members to address a range of social challenges, will build the trust necessary to identify potential radicalization and prevent acts of terrorism.” -David Schanzer, Director, Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security (August 3, 2011)
News & Announcements
David Schanzer on Saudi Arabia English TV
"Our troubled path to greater security," an editorial by Triangle Center Director, David Schanzer. (Published in the Raleigh News and Observer on September 11, 2011)
"Why Is It So Hard to Find a Suicide Bomber These Days?" Triangle Center affiliate, Charles Kurzman's article in Foreign Policy: A decade after 9-11, the mystery is not why so many Muslims turn to terror, but why so few have joined Al Qaida's jihad.
It's time to confront the 'counterjihadists,' an editorial by Triangle Center Director, David Schanzer. (Published in the Toronto Globe and Mail on July 28, 2011)
Triangle Center Director, David Schanzer, discusses various counterterrorism issues and the War on Terror.
On May 4, the Triangle Co-Hosted a panel discussion at Duke University to discuss the killing of Osama bin Laden: "Now What? Counterterrorism and American National Security in a Post-Bin Laden World." Experts included Triangle Center Director, David Schanzer, Peter Feaver, and Bruce Jentleson. The discussion was moderated by Duke graduate student, Seth Cantey.
Triangle Center Director Reacts to King Hearings.
Kurzman Responds to Misstatements About Study. Charles Kurzman, author of a Triangle Center study that has been receiving a great deal of media attention in light of the current Congressional Hearings, cites mistakes in Representative Peter King's observations about the study. King's comments were broadcast on the CBS Early Show on March 9, 2011.
An editorial from the Tufts Daily, student news paper of Tufts University, cites Triangle Center study and urges Congress to "Leave McCarthyism in the past."
Charles Kurzman quoted by the American Chronicle in "The danger of a Muslim witch hunt."
Triangle Center study on Muslim American Communities cited by CNN's Candy Crawley on "State of the Union." (7:31 min)
During an August 22, 2010 ABC World News roundtable discussion on Corruption in Afghanistan, Christiane Amanpour discusses the study co-authored by TCTHS Director David Schanzer, Charles Kurzman of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Ebrahim Moosa of Duke University (10 min mark).
In his August 2010 op-ed David Schanzer discusses the ways in which "Islam-bashing undermines the U.S. counter-terrorism effort."
Schanzer Offers Expertise on Domestic Terrorism. David Schanzer discussed the role of Muslim communities in combating terrorism during a panel discussion in Washington, D.C., on July 14, 2010. The event, “Strengthening America’s Security: Identifying, Preventing and Responding to Domestic Terrorism,” was cosponsored by the Center for American Progress Action Fund and the National Security Network.
In his recent op-ed Time for intelligence interrogations, David Schanzer calls on Congress to established better procedures for interrogating terrorist suspects detained inside the United States.
Webcast Conversation on Muslim Americans and Domestic Security. On Jan. 8, 2010, Triangle Center Director David Schanzer answered questions on anti-terrorism strategies during a live, interactive “Office Hours” webcast. A recording of this program is currently available on the Duke University Ustream channel.
Strategic Risk Management in Government: A Look at Homeland Security -- a new report published by The IBM Center for the Business of Government includes a paper written by Triangle Center Director David H. Schanzer and RTIs Joe Eyerman. In it, Schanzer and Eyerman describe the recent history of strategic risk management in the Department of Homeland Security and set forth a series of findings and recommendations directed to the Executive Office of the President, the department, and Congress. A key recommendation is that the department enhance the analytical capability necessary for strategic risk management.