In Episode 51 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast, we consider how extremists of all types have exploited maneuver space online, and what this means for efforts to counter violent extremism today.
Our guests begin by introducing the online and offline environments in which extremists and terrorists operate. They discuss how the environment has changed over the past fifteen years, creating opportunities and challenges for violent extremists and the stakeholders working to counter their efforts. After discussing the range of factors that shape responses to domestic violent extremists compared to foreign terrorist organizations, they discuss emerging and enduring threats facing the counterterrorism community, including white supremacy extremism and the exploitation of communications technology. Our guests conclude by considering how governments and civil society can work to identify, disrupt, and prevent violent extremism in ways that balance security, free expression, privacy, and trust.
Nick Rasmussen is the executive director of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism. A national security professional with more than twenty-seven years of US government service, Nick held senior counterterrorism posts at the White House and in the US Intelligence Community from 2001 to 2017. He concluded his government career as director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Nick continues to serve as a nonresident senior national security fellow at the McCain Institute for International Leadership.
Dr. Daniel Byman is a professor at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. He has written extensively on terrorism, international security, and civil and ethnic conflict, and serves as a senior fellow in the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. Dan’s government service includes his time as a professional staff member with the 9/11 Commission and with the Joint 9/11 Inquiry Staff of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. His most recent book is Spreading Hate: The Global Rise of White Supremacist Terrorism.
Shawna Sinnott and Audrey Alexander are the hosts for Episode 51. Audrey joins the team as a special guest cohost from West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center, where she is a researcher and instructor. Please reach out to Shawna and Audrey with any questions about this episode or the Irregular Warfare Podcast.
The Irregular Warfare Podcast is a production of the Irregular Warfare Initiative (IWI). We are a team of volunteers dedicated to bridging the gap between scholars and practitioners in the field of irregular warfare. IWI generates written and audio content, coordinates events for the IW community, and hosts critical thinkers in the field of irregular warfare as IWI fellows. You can follow and engage with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn.
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Image credit: Remko van Dokkum