Bin Laden’s extremist group had less than a hundred members in September 2001. Today it’s a transnational terror organization with 40,000 fighters across the Middle East, Africa and beyond.
Violent radicals are often described as jihadists. A scholar explains what the word means and why those using the word to justify terrorism are often misrepresenting their sources.
Social media companies struggle to identify and remove hate speech when it’s posted. What can computer science reveal about how hate-filled texts and videos spread online?
The arguments of far right commentators who conflate Islam with extremism are flawed. In the rich and complex tradition of Islam, extremists are a small minority who often target other Muslims.
Research shows that unrest, even terrorism, can erupt in poor countries with a surplus of young people and not enough jobs. Can Niger, a once-peaceful sub-Saharan African nation, handle its baby boom?
While nationalism is a dirty word, we often underestimate the power of its ideal in contemporary societies. We live in a world of nations, which provide identity and belonging for many people.
Mass murders like the killings at a Pittsburgh synagogue are seen as the work of disturbed individuals. But America has allowed violence to become unexceptional, ignoring its root cause.
The attack at a synagogue in Pittsburgh and the sending of pipe bombs to critics of the current administration are examples of the increase in the violence on the margins of the right.