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Challenges in researching
terrorism from the field
Research must focus on how youth are engaged
By Scott Atran,1,2,3,4 Robert Axelrod,1,3 For example, USG national security
Richard Davis,1,4 Baruch Fischhoff1,5 structure was primarily built to manage
state-to-state interactions during the Cold
D
espite intense efforts by intelligence War and hence is not well-suited to sub- and
Published by AAAS
In Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Brussels, Belguim, these
young people could go one way or another in
response to terrorist recruitment. How can scientific
research understand and change the outcome?
Reports from the The Soufan Group, In- and private-sector firms to recognize and forming them about the content, strengths,
ternational Center for the Study of Radi- prevent violent extremism. The hope is that and limits to the science. To fulfill these
calisation (Kings College London), and by continuing to convene a wide range of roles, scientists must retain strong indepen-
the Combating Terrorism Center (U.S. disciplines, a community-based approach dence to avoid co-option by bureaucratic or
Military Academy) indicate that approxi- to prevention led by the federal government political interests, while maintaining their
mately three-fourths of those who join the will get it right (18). But accessing, inter- colleagues respect. Unless the sciences are
Islamic State or al-Qaeda do so in groups. preting, and leveraging community-based integrated and independent, government
These groups often involve preexisting so- knowledge requires disciplined, theoretically may get oversimplified views from scien-
cial networks and typically cluster in par- informed field research in and with commu- tists unaware of their subdisciplines limits,
ticular towns and neighborhoods (16). This nities at risk. CVE currently lacks the mecha- or pandering ones from scientists eager for
suggests that much recruitment does not nisms and funding (19). attention and influence. Unless government
need direct personal appeals by organiza- A necessary focus of that research effort maintains proper distance, it will deter sci-
tion agents or individual exposure to social must be youth, who form the bulk of todays entists ready to build knowledge to contain
media (which would entail a more dispersed terrorist recruits and tomorrows most vul- terrorism but who fear wasting time or
recruitment pattern). Fieldwork is needed to nerable populations (20). At present, young compromising their integrity. j
identify the specific conditions under which people, especially young men (but increas-
RE FERENCES AND NOTES
these processes play out. Natural growth ingly young women), are viewed as a prob-
1. DoD, United States Department of Defense fiscal year
models of terrorist networks then might be lem rather than the promise of a solution. To
Published by AAAS
Challenges in researching terrorism from the field
Scott Atran, Robert Axelrod, Richard Davis and Baruch Fischhoff
(January 26, 2017)
Science 355 (6323), 352-354. [doi: 10.1126/science.aaj2037]
Editor's Summary
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