Combating Terrorism with Science
From the psychology of violent extremism to cracking encrypted communications, counterterrorism efforts rely on the latest scientific research
Special Report: The Psychology of Terrorism
Five experts share recent studies, classical research and professional experiences that shed light on defusing the threat of extremism
What Research Says about Defeating Terrorism
Seven enlightening studies from social psychology hold vital lessons for policy makers—and the rest of us
Fueling Terror: How Extremists Are Made
The psychology of group dynamics goes a long way toward explaining what drives ordinary people toward radicalism
Rescue Mission: Freeing Young Recruits from the Grip of ISIS
Memories and emotions—not reason—hold the key to reclaiming young fanatics, according to an expert team in France
Weakening Encrypted Communications Would Do Little to Stop Terrorist Attacks, Experts Say
Giving governments backdoor access to private communications would do more harm than good, security analysts warn
What You Don't Understand about Suicide Attacks
Whether in Chattanooga or Afghanistan, the attacks are driven more by psychological problems than ideology—which hints at a solution
U.S. Politicians Debate Whether Climate Change Fuels Terrorism
An old feud rekindles in the wake of the Paris attack
Is Terrorism a Form of Self-Help Justice?
The moralistic motivations of ISIS
Can Science Solve Terrorism? Q&A with Psychologist John Horgan
For years, I’ve been getting e-mails from people who praise my brilliant research on terrorism and then ask me tough questions about the topic
Anthropologist Seeks the Roots of Terrorism
In spite of massive challenges, Scott Atran has managed to conduct extensive field interviews with would-be and convicted terrorists
Attempts to Predict Terrorist Attacks Hit Limits
Erratic human behavior and incomplete information plague efforts to model this risk
The Five Myths of Terrorism—Including That It Works
Why terror doesn't work
How Young Children Learn about Terrorism and 9/11
What have we learned about the way children understand and process major events--even if they, themselves were not alive to have experienced them?
Terrorists Get Better with Practice: New Mathematical Model Shows How Fatal Attacks Escalate Over Time
Scientists enlist physics, math and evolutionary biology to tackle the seemingly impossible challenge of finding patterns in the chaos of modern war
How Biometrics Helped to Identify the Master Terrorist
A toolkit used to identify Osama bin Laden in his hideout was probably a lot like the handheld devices used by U.S. soldiers
Face Value: Does Profiling Actually Help to Catch Terrorists?
A new study says the benefits don't add up
The Psychology of the War on Terror
How we characterize an issue affects how we think about it. Replacing the "war on terror" metaphor with other ways of framing counterterrorism might help us curtail the violence more effectively...
Privacy in an Age of Terabytes and Terror
Introduction to SciAm 's issue on Privacy. Our jittery state since 9/11, coupled with the Internet revolution, is shifting the boundaries between public interest and "the right to be let alone"...
The Web Ushers In New Weapons of War and Terrorism
Protesters, terrorists and warmongers have found the Internet to be a useful tool to achieve their goals. Who will bring law and order to cyberspace?
Inside the Terrorist Mind
Scientists are probing the psyches of terrorists to reveal what motivates their monstrous acts. Far from being crazed killers, terrorists are gunning for the greater good-as they see it
Thwarting Nuclear Terrorism
Many civilian research reactors contain highly enriched uranium that terrorists could use to build nuclear bombs
Combating the Terror of Terrorism
The psychological damage caused by the attacks of September 11 mirrored the physical destruction and showed that protecting the public’s mental health must be a component of the national defense...
