International Centre for Counter-Terrorism

Last updated
International Centre for Counter-Terrorism
AbbreviationICCT
Formation2010 (2010)
Founded atThe Hague
TypeIndependent organisation
PurposeCreation, collation and dissemination of information and skills relating to the legal and human rights aspects of counter-terrorism
Director
Thomas Renard
Website icct.nl OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) is an independent think-and-do tank providing multidisciplinary policy advice and practical support focused on prevention, the rule of law and current and emerging threats three important parts of effective counter-terrorism work.

Contents

History

ICCT was established in The Hague in 2010, after an initiative originating in the Netherlands' parliament with a motion by Dutch Member of Parliament Coskun Çörüz in April 2008. [1] ICCT is supported by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ICCT began as a unique partnership between three renowned institutions based in The Hague: the T.M.C. Asser Institute, the Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael, and the Institute for Security and Global Affairs (ISGA) at Leiden University. [2] Since 2021, ICCT continued as an independent organisation ("Stichting").

Staff

The current director of ICCT is Thomas Renard. [3]

ICCT's staff includes a number of scholars and practitioners with expertise in the fields of counter-terrorism and international diplomacy. [4] Alex P. Schmid is a distinguished research fellow at ICCT and director of the Terrorism Research Initiative, an international network of scholars working to enhance international security through collaborative research, and he was formerly Officer-in-Charge of the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the United Nations. [5]

Activities

ICCT's work focuses on themes at the intersection of countering violent extremism and criminal justice sector responses, as well as human rights related aspects of counter-terrorism. Its major project areas concern: countering violent extremism, rule of law, preventing and countering violent extremism, foreign fighters, country and regional analysis, rehabilitation, civil society engagement and victims' voices.

ICCT convenes forums, workshops and Live Briefing on topics such as radicalization, [6] foreign fighters [7] , the legal boundaries of the battlefield, [8] administrative measures [9] and Gender and extremism [10] . The centre also frequently conducts training programs, provides technical assistance to missions and carries out country-specific analyses of terrorism and its effects.

Counter-Terrorism Research and Analysis – Working with academics and think thanks on developing policy relevant knowledge on prevention and rule of law based approaches to counter-terrorism, including trends analysis

Policy Advice and Implementation – Bringing together policymakers, experts, civil society actors and frontline practitioners to share expertise, and providing advice, training and capacity building

Monitoring and Evaluation – Systematically assessing counter-terrorism policies and strategies to provide feedback loops between policy and practice and contribute to evidence-based planning and implementation

Training Modules and Summer Programmes – tailored to different target audiences ranging from postgraduates to senior policymakers and judges, on a variety of topics and organised both in-house and on location.

European and international cooperation

ICCT engages with a vast and diverse network of international organisations, government departments, NGOs, academic institutions, think tanks and civil society organisations from around the globe. The centre works closely with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) including various agencies of the United Nations such as the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED); [11] the UN Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF); the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI); the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF); [12] and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Also in the European context, ICCT stands at the forefront of institutional collaboration. It is member of the consortium for the Radicalisation Awareness Network Centre of Excellence and cooperates among others with the European Commission and the European External Action Service.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Counterterrorism</span> Activity to defend against or prevent terrorist actions

Counterterrorism, also known as anti-terrorism, relates to the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, businesses, and intelligence agencies use to combat or eliminate terrorism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex P. Schmid</span> Dutch terrorism academic

Alex Peter Schmid is a scholar in terrorism studies, who from 1999 to 2005 was Officer-in-Charge of the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna. He is particularly known for his work on the definition of terrorism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael</span> International relations school in Wassenaar, Netherlands

The Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael or Clingendael Institute is a Dutch think tank and academy on international relations. Based in Wassenaar on the municipal border with The Hague, the institute also publishes Clingendael Magazine 'Spectator', an online monthly on international politics. As of 2012, the institute is organised into two departments: Clingendael Research and Clingendael Academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H. A. Hellyer</span> British scholar in geopolitics, security studies, and religious studies

H. A. Hellyer is a British geopolitical analyst, and scholar in security studies, political economy, history, and belief. His geographic areas of study include the modern Middle East, Europe, and Southeast Asia.

Radicalization is the process by which an individual or a group comes to adopt increasingly radical views in opposition to a political, social, or religious status quo. The ideas of society at large shape the outcomes of radicalization. Radicalization can result in both violent and nonviolent action – academic literature focuses on radicalization into violent extremism (RVE) or radicalisation leading to acts of terrorism. Multiple separate pathways can promote the process of radicalization, which can be independent but are usually mutually reinforcing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Institute for Strategic Dialogue</span> Think tank

The Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) is a political advocacy organization founded in 2006 by Sasha Havlicek and George Weidenfeld and headquartered in London, United Kingdom.

The Hague Academic Coalition (HAC) is a consortium of academic institutions in the fields of international relations, international law and international development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T.M.C. Asser Instituut</span>

The T.M.C. Asser Instituut is a professional inter-university centre of knowledge and research. The institute carries out research in private and public international law, European law, as well as all other related fields, including international commercial arbitration, international sports law and international humanitarian and criminal law. It was established in 1965 in The Hague and it is affiliated with the University of Amsterdam. Since September 2021 the institute also hosts the Special Chair Arms Control Law.

The United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) is one of the five United Nations Research and Training Institutes. The institute was founded in 1968 to assist the international community in formulating and implementing improved policies in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice. Its work currently focuses on Goal 16 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, that is centred on promoting peaceful, just and inclusive societies, free from crime and violence.

Richard Martin Donne Barrett CMG OBE is a former British diplomat and intelligence officer now involved in countering violent extremism. Barrett is a recognised global expert on terrorism who frequently appears as a panellist in related conferences and whose commentary is regularly featured in the press.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Global Center on Cooperative Security</span> International non-profit organization

The Global Center on Cooperative Security is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit research and policy institute based in New York, Washington D.C., London, Brussels, and Nairobi. The Global Center works to improve multilateral security cooperation through policy research and issue-area projects throughout the world.

The White House released the United States' first strategy to address "ideologically inspired" violence in August 2011. Entitled Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States, the eight-page document outlines "how the Federal Government will support and help empower American communities and their local partners in their grassroots efforts to prevent violent extremism." The strategy was followed in December 2011 by a more detailed Strategic Implementation Plan for Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States. The National Strategy for Empowering Local Partners and the strategic implementation plan (SIP) resulted from the identification of violent extremism and terrorism inspired by "al-Qaeda and its affiliates and adherents" as the "preeminent security threats" to the United States by the 2010 National Security Strategy and the 2011 National Strategy for Counterterrorism. Regardless of the priorization of the threat from al-Qaeda's ideology, both the strategy and SIP are geared towards all types of extremism without focus on a particular ideology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Against Violent Extremism</span>

Against Violent Extremism (AVE) is a global network of former extremists, survivors of violence and interested individuals from the public and private sectors - working together to counter all forms of violent extremism. A partnership between London’s Institute for Strategic Dialogue, Google Ideas and the Gen Next Foundation. AVE's stated aim is to offer a platform for communication, collaboration and a means for activists to find resources and funding for projects.

Edwin Bakker is head of the knowledge and research department of the Netherlands Police Academy and professor of Terrorism Studies at Leiden University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violent extremism</span> Extremism perpetrated through violent means

Violent extremism is a form of extremism that condones and enacts violence with ideological or deliberate intent, such as religious or political violence. Violent extremist views often conflate with religious and political violence, and can manifest in connection with a range of issues, including politics, religion, and gender relations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shahrbanou Tadjbakhsh</span> Iranian-American scholar

Shahrbanou Tadjbakhsh is an Iranian-American researcher, university lecturer, and United Nations consultant in peacebuilding, conflict resolution, counter-terrorism, and radicalization, best known for her work in "Human Security" and for contributions in the republics of Central Asia and Afghanistan, as cited by the New York Times and other publications as well as hundreds of scholarly publications. Currently, she is a lecturer at Sciences Po, researcher, and consultant to the United Nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Aly</span> Australian politician and academic (born 1967)

Anne Azza Aly is an Australian politician who has been a Labor member of the House of Representatives since the 2016 election, representing the electorate of Cowan in Western Australia. Aly is currently the Minister for Early Childhood Education and Minister for Youth in the Albanese ministry.

Online youth radicalization is the action in which a young individual or a group of people come to adopt increasingly extreme political, social, or religious ideals and aspirations that reject, or undermine the status quo or undermine contemporary ideas and expressions of a state, which they may or may not reside in. Online youth radicalization can be both violent or non-violent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia Ebner</span> Austrian writer

Julia Ebner is an Austrian researcher, and author, based in London. She has written the books The Rage: the Vicious Circle of Islamist and Far-Right Extremism, Going Dark: the Secret Social Lives of Extremists and Going Mainstream: how extremists are taking over.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Misogynist terrorism</span> Terrorism motivated by the desire to punish women

Misogynist terrorism is terrorism that is motivated by the desire to punish women. It is an extreme form of misogyny—the policing of women's compliance to patriarchal gender expectations. Misogynist terrorism uses mass indiscriminate violence in an attempt to avenge nonconformity with those expectations or to reinforce the perceived superiority of men.

References

  1. The Hague Justice Portal. "International Centre for Counter Terrorism opens in The Hague" . Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  2. T.M.C. Asser Instituut. "2010: 12 & 13 December: International Centre for Counter Terrorism, International Launch Conference". Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  3. Renard, Thomas (26 July 2022). "Thomas Renard, ICCT". icct.nl.
  4. The Hague Justice Portal. "International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) - The Hague" . Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  5. Terrorism Research Initiative. "Terrorism Research Initiative (TRI)" . Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  6. International Centre for Counter-Terrorism - The Hague. "Radicalization, De-Radicalization and Counter-Radicalisation". Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  7. International Centre for Counter-Terrorism - The Hague. "'Exodus' of European Foreign Fighters to Syria". Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  8. Margulies, Peter (14 January 2013). "Boundaries of the Battlefield Symposium Insight". Opinio Juris. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  9. "ICCT Live Briefing: Administrative Measures, Human Rights, and Democracy in Turbulent Times". International Centre for Counter-Terrorism - ICCT. 9 May 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  10. "ICCT and Egmont Institute Live Briefing: Gender and far-right ideology". International Centre for Counter-Terrorism - ICCT. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  11. International Centre for Counter-Terrorism; the Hague. "Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1624 (2005)". Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. Global Counterterrorism Forum. "Countering Violent Extremism". Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.