Terrorism and extremism
There is broad agreement on the core meaning of the term ‘terrorism’, but considerable disagreement about its delimitation.
Terrorism can be seen as strategic actions in which violence or threat of violence is used to create fear, gain attention for a cause, or coerce another party to give in to certain demands. The aim is to achieve effects on others beside the direct victims or targets of the violence. Some analysts reserve the term for non-state actors, while others include state terrorism. Some define acts as terrorism only if the actions are directed at civilian targets, while others include all non-combatants (including military targets not involved in the combat). At NUPI, research on terrorism has concentrated especially on the European rim from North Africa to the Caucasus region, and our main instrument for this research is the research programme the Terror Consortium.
Some questions we seek to answer:
- What are the linkages between terrorism, organized crime, weak states and new forms of organized violence?
- How to distinguish between terrorists and freedom fighters?
- What are the political implications of how the various insurgence groups are defined?
News about terrorism and extremism
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NUPI replaces NRK P2's 'Ekko' this week
7 Dec 2020NUPI has produced ten hours of high quality radio about foreign policy and international relations. The programs will air on NRK P2 during week 50, Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 11.00. Tune in!
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Common fears, common opportunities?
5 Mar 2020How do Czechia and Norway assess and respond to a changing international political context?
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The PREVEX project officially launched in Brussels
7 Feb 2020Why are some communities more likely to experience violent extremism than others?
Publications about terrorism and extremism
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Publication
: Popular scientific article
The Georgian far right failed its electoral debut. But its season may not be over
2021Taken together, the emerging groups of the Georgian far right obtained less than 5% in the October 2020 elections to the national Parliament. But limited electoral success does not mean that the far-right has limited political power, in Georgia and elsewhere in the world. -
Publication
Is France in a no-win situation in Sahel region?
Leaders of a group of five West African Sahel nations are currently meeting for the second day in Chad’s capital N'Djamena. The summit seeks to find ways to boost security, and comes as France prepares to drawdown its troops in the volatile region. Andrew E. Yaw Tchie from the Norwegian Institute... -
Publication
: Report
Climate, Peace and Security Fact Sheet: Somalia
Somalia is highly susceptible to the effects of climate change and extreme weather. Without anticipatory preventive approaches, these factors are likely to exacerbate existing vulnerabilities and reduce the people’s livelihood options, which in turn may have negative impacts for stability and security...
Research projects about terrorism and extremism
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Photograph: EU media library
Research projectCOOPERATION: President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President og the AU, Moussa Faki Mahama.
Shaping a New Africa-Europe Relationship for a post-Covid-19 global order
2020 - 2021 (Ongoing)This collaborative project between NUPI, ACCORD and ECFR aims to stimulate and enrich the dialogue in Africa and Europe on the underlying geopolitical, Covid-19, peace and security and other key developments...
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Research project
Mitigating Perceived Threats in Russian and Norwegian Public Discourse (THREAT-DEFUSER)
2020 - 2023 (Ongoing)THREAT-DEFUSER integrates state-of-the-art political science, linguistics, and media studies methods to forge a new multidisciplinary approach to hybrid warfare. The primary objective is long term strategic...
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Grafikk: NTB Scanpix
Research project
Report on development and use of risk-assessment tools for violent extremism
2019 - 2020 (Ongoing)This project shall examine the development and use of risk-assessment tools related to violent extremism, and elucidate the evidential basis on which the tools are built.