Ukraine is a proxy for so much more than just this war. There is a deep history to consider — going back to the cold war, going further back to the idea of a greater communist Russia, its Great Game with Britain and Iran to dominate the Caucuses, and even…

Beyond the immediate benefit of its vital and much-needed information, the NYT Trojan Horse podcast has revealed several observations. Indeed, the podcast highlighted the complexities underlying the Trojan Horse debacle, discussing the main characters implicated and set aside at the conclusion of the process. However, the backlash against the podcast…

Last year was a remarkable year, or, to put it another way, another non-remarkable year for the second time in a row. Or was it? The events on Capitol Hill on January 6th served as a springboard. Still convinced that the elections were rigged, President Donald Trump (arguably) instigated a…

[Text of the 20-minute response to the book during the Extreme Beliefs — Interdisciplinary workshop: Mapping the Terrain, convened Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the ERC Extreme Beliefs project, 15–16 December 2021] First of all, I would like to say thank you to the conference organisers, in particular Dr Rik Peels…

The world changes before us at an ever rapid pace. Sometimes it is hard to keep up with all that goes on across the globe, and, crucially, what this means for our understanding of it. As an educator working with university students, and that of others like me, we face…

Numerous articles and commentaries will be written on the events of 9/11 and the implications raised for how we think about extremism and radicalisation today. Adding to the discussion in this area, I take the opportunity to provide a personal and professional reflection on the ‘war on terror’, and to…

‘No problem here, move on…’ This is what Downing Street wants the British public to see, hear, and believe when it comes to the question of racism in society, in particular on questions of institutional racism, ethnic inequalities and patterns of discrimination that would ordinarily suggest that there is something…

The world witnessed the shocking events on Capitol Hill a few days ago that will live long in the memory many years after President Trump has vanished from the political landscape of the United State of America. Much has been made about the role and presence of conspiracy theories among…

Summary: What are the main drivers of far-right and Islamist radicalisation? What is the role of social exclusion within radicalisation processes? How can we design better policies to safeguard young people from radicalising? The DRIVE project, led by Leiden University in The Hague seeks to address these questions, working with…