Interpreting “Cumulative Extremism”: Six Proposals for Enhancing Conceptual Clarity

The concept of “cumulative extremism”—described in 2006 by Roger Eatwell as “the way in which one form of extremism can feed off and magnify other forms [of extremism],” has recently gained considerable traction in academic, policy, and practitioner discourses about extremism. Yet in spite of the growing usage of the term, particularly in analyses of the dynamic between extreme Islamist and extreme Right-Wing or anti-Muslim protest groups, there has to date been scant interrogation of the concept itself or of its application. In this article, we make a series of six proposals as to how we might enhance the conceptual clarity of these conversations about “cumulative extremism.” Our aim in doing so is to increase the likelihood that the concept might become a useful addition to the debates on extremism rather than becoming, to borrow a term from John Horgan—something of an “explanatory fiction”—an idea that appears to enable us to explain a great deal, but whose explanatory value is largely lost because there is insufficient scrutiny of the claims that it is used to make and whose liberal application becomes increasingly conducive to poor science.     

Radical distinctions: a comparative study of two jihadist speeches

Work on contemporary instances of “violent extremist” texts tends to see these primarily as more or less instrumental extensions of political (or political-religious) movements. As a result, there are few studies that devote close attention to individual examples of the texts themselves. In this article, we offer a detailed analysis of two jihadist speeches by the prominent ideologues Adam Gadahn and the late Anwar al-Awlaki. We argue that Al-Awlaki’s work ultimately succeeds where Gadahn’s seemingly fails because it is underpinned by a form of fundamentalism which, paradoxically, is inherently premised on the survival of possibilities for dialogue and polyglossia.     

A New Look at the Gender Gap in Offending

Studies of public support for capital punishment have consistently observed a strong and enduring gender gap in the level of death penalty support, with males consistently more inclined than females to support capital punishment. This unexplained relationship has endured over time and space as well as across a myriad of research designs. The present study uses attribution theory in a factorial survey design to account for this relationship. Analyses of data obtained from jurors provide mixed support for attribution theory yet fails to bridge the gender gap in death penalty support. The implications of these findings as they relate to gender, socialization, and attributions are discussed.     

论暴力恐怖事件发生后社会心理氛围的调控

恐怖犯罪的发生与特定的政治经济环境、国际形势、历史遗留问题等多种因素有关。反恐怖策略固然需要重视对暴力恐怖犯罪的打击,但更要重视营造健康的社会心理氛围,降低既定的社会环境对个体的消极影响,从一般预防的层面减少恐怖犯罪发生的机率。暴力恐怖事件发生后社会心理氛围的调控要注意反恐宣传、社会控制与心理引导等问题。     

法制视野下的我国暴恐犯罪问题研究

“暴恐犯罪”,是暴力恐怖主义犯罪的简称,有其特定的内涵与特点;当前我国暴恐犯罪呈现出新的趋势,原因是多方面的;暴恐犯罪具有反社会、反人类、反文明的本质,以及巨大的社会危害性;应当在立法层面制定完善的反暴恐立法体系,为反暴恐犯罪提供法律依据,在实践层面构建高效的反暴恐体制和机制,依法防范和严厉打击国内的暴恐犯罪活动。     

未成年人网络游戏引发暴力犯罪的控制路径

近年来,因网络游戏而诱发的未成年人犯罪案件呈日益上升趋势,如何有效地预防和控制未成年人暴力犯罪,已成为全社会关注的热点问题。从实证分析角度,考量域外国家防控机制,为了实现对未成年人网络游戏暴力犯罪的控制,应当建立未成年人涉网相关的专门法律规范,强化行政执法权,推行网络游戏相关规控制度,开展社会管控,对未成年人健康用网进行综合引导。     

First Steps Towards Hearts and Minds? USAID's Countering Violent Extremism Policies in Africa

The United States government has adopted new approaches to counter violent extremist organizations around the world. “Soft security” and development programs include focused educational training for groups vulnerable to terrorist recruitment, norm messaging through local radio programming, and job creation in rural communities. This article evaluates the effectiveness of one set of these multi-vectored, community-level programs through data from 200 respondents in two similar, neighboring towns in northern Mali, Africa. The data show that residents in Timbuktu who were exposed to the programming for up to five years displayed measurably altered civic behavior and listening patterns in comparison with their counterparts in the control town of Diré, which had no programming (controlling for potential covariates including age, ethnicity, and political and socioeconomic conditions). However, there was little measurable difference between the groups in terms of their cultural identities and attitudes towards the West. While this study is unable to definitively prove a causal connection between programming and behavioral outcomes, it nonetheless strongly suggests that the process of “winning hearts and minds” can be effective at certain levels but may require extended time and dedicated resources to generate higher-level results.     

暴力犯罪后“捎带财物行为”的定性及理性分析

行为人在实施侵犯人身暴力犯罪后“捎带财物行为”的定性,应当具体分析暴力犯罪后“捎带财物行为”性质,即判断先前侵犯人身的暴力犯罪给被害人造成的状态,接着判断先前暴力行为是否形成新的“威胁”以及是否被“捎带财物行为”实施时所利用,最终作出合理的结论。     

非法持有宣扬恐怖主义、极端主义物品罪的规范限缩

持有行为入罪的正当性原理是行为对法益的抽象性危险。《刑法修正案(九)》设立的"宣扬恐怖主义、极端主义物品罪"不满足持有型犯罪的基本特征:"持有行为与实害结果的密接性",存在对法益保护原则稀释。究其原因,在于宏大反恐背景下对于安全价值的过度倾斜。罪状中规范性构成要件要素含义不明确以及本罪的"恐怖主义活动"属性,导致了实然上规制范围的非理性扩张和制裁程度的加重。基于法教义学的叙事逻辑,在我国现实的刑事立法下,理应对本罪的处罚边界进行规范性限缩,具体路径包括:构成要件要素的规范解释、"正当目的"的出罪机制以及"最后适用性"的潜在限制。     

Preventing radicalisation in Norwegian schools: how teachers respond to counter-radicalisation efforts

ABSTRACT

This article explores how selected educators respond to the integration of counter-radicalisation efforts into Norwegian secondary schools. Our research participants describe having limited encounters with youth extremism in practice, yet their narratives exhibit a professional responsibility to prevent students from being radicalised towards any form of violent extremism. There are, however, diverging views on how prevention should be carried out in school. When faced with concerns of radicalisation, most participants draw on therapeutic prevention, which conforms to the dominant radicalisation discourse in global politics aimed at identifying and rehabilitating vulnerable youth. We argue that these therapeutic prevention strategies are a form of pedagogical control intended to recondition “illiberal” students under the pretext of national security. Considering the strong normative and political connotations of extremism-related issues, we recommend that educators tread cautiously in their prevention efforts. Educators must especially strive to find a balance between deterring students from radicalisation and violent extremism, while also ensuring that these efforts do not impede the agency and autonomy of young lives. Overall, this research raises some ethical and practical concerns about preventing radicalisation and violent extremism in Norwegian schools.