Project on Violent Conflict receives $1M Grant

Rethemeyer & Asal

Monday, January 30, 2012 - Rockefeller College's Project on Violent Conflict has won a $1 million dollar award over five years as part of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) based at the University of Maryland to continue to expand the scientific understanding of the human causes and consequences of terrorism, specifically addressing crucial homeland security issues, such as terrorist behavior, violent extremism and counterterrorism. The Project on Violent Conflict, run by Professors Victor Asal and R. Karl Rethemeyer, will focus on collecting data on Terrorist and Extremist Organizations and analyzing factors that help explain their organizational behavior.

Soldier's Best Friend

We've all heard the old saying about dogs being man's best friend, well then these dog's must be a soldier's best friend. Be sure to check out this interesting article on the roles that our canine companions are taking on the front lines of the War on Terror.

PVC Researchers Answer Questions on Osama Bin Laden's Death

Click here to listen to interviews with three of PVC's researchers where they respond to questions about al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden's death. They also go on to discuss how his death might effect al-Qaeda and the broader War on Terror.

Check Out PVC Director's on Capitol Pressroom

Last Friday Project on Violent Conflict Co-Directors Victor Asal and Karl Rethemeyer appeared on Susan Arbetter's The Capitol Pressroom to discuss PVC's research on terrorism. Click here to listen to the radio show (the interview begins at the 30 minute mark).

Two Other Bad Guys Dealt With (Really Bad Guys)

The Baitullah news could overshadow a couple other big successes in the past couple days.

1) Noordin Mohammed Top, the Jemaah Islamiyah splinter leader who took credit for the recent Jakarta Hotel bombings, is believed to have been killed in a firefight today on the Indonesian Island of Java. (Reuters)

2) New LTTE leader, and former LTTE arms kingpin Selvarasa Pathmanathan (or “KP”) was arrested in a “Southeast Asian” country. He took over for recently deceased LTTE founder and leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. KP was such a major force in the LTTE international network that this is a major win. For details of his role running the LTTE arms and logistics networks (nicknamed the ‘KP Branch”) read the appendix to RANDs report Trends in Outside Support to Insurgencies, that focuses on LTTE Military Procurement. (Malay Star, RAND)

Baitullah is Dead

The leader of Tehrik e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is dead. Starting a couple days ago, stories about the death of Mrs. Baitullah Mehsud began to filter out of Pakistan. Initially rumours that Baitullah was with her were denied… but today those rumors appear confirmed. This is either a big win, or not really, depending on who you ask. (CTC, Long War Journal, Daily Times)

“The most wanted terrorist in Pakistan, Baitullah Mehsud, is most likely in repose, the result of a successful jointed intelligence operation mounted by the U.S. Air Force equipment, the CIA operations officers and Pakistan's ISI. Mehsud, according to a United Nations report not disputed by the intelligence community, has been responsible for about 80% of the terrorism-related carnage in Pakistan, including the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. A former ISI asset, Meshud is responsible for the deaths of American soldiers, too. In March, he promised a "spectacular" attack against Washington, D.C.” (The Atlantic)

“‘I confirm that Baitullah Mehsud and his wife died in the American missile attack in South Waziristan,’ Taliban commander Kafayat Ullah said by telephone on Friday. He would not give any details.” (Dawn)

The Classics - Part 2 - The NYer's Terrorism Coverage

Like the Atlantic, the New Yorker has a long history of bringing great coverage of current events (as well as short stories and essays by the likes of Steve Martin, Woody Allen, etc). There are a host of classic stories from the NYer too, like Philip Gourevitch’s coverage of the Rwandan Genocide and Sy Hersh’s coverage of Abu Ghraib.

But more recently, they’ve also produced some of the best terrorism coverage anywhere. Jeffrey Goldberg’s two-part story on Hezbollah remains one of the best open source looks at the Lebanese group and its connections in South America’s Tri-Border Region. Lawrence Wright’s coverage of Al Qaeda is also unparalleled (except maybe by Peter Bergen). His profile of Ayman al Zawahiri, coverage of new AQ theorists like Abu Musab al Suri and Abu Bakr Naji, and his take on the recantations of Dr. Fadl, are modern classics. Finally, George Packer who manages to cover every conceivable topic well, did a phenomenal piece on the adoption of social science methods by the US military for counter-insurgency.

In the Party of God by Jeffrey Goldberg
Part 1, Part 2

The Man Behind Bin Laden by Lawrence Wright

The Master Plan by Lawrence Wright

The Rebellion Within by Lawrence Wright

Knowing the Enemy by George Packer