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Terrorism

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From the Munich Olympics to 9/11 to worldwide bombings and mass shootings, terrorism is by no means a localized or recent phenomenon. Efforts to both catalog and counter terrorism, both in the United States and abroad, have been a key focus of RAND research since the early 1970s.

Commentary
Appreciating U.S. Ground Force Contributions to Operation Inherent Resolve
Defeating ISIS hinged on a ground fight, requiring the grueling liberation of territory kilometer by kilometer. While Iraqi forces bore the brunt of frontline fighting, U.S. forces were also engaged in on-the-ground combat operations that hastened the defeat of ISIS. Appreciating such contributions will be necessary to distill the right lessons so that we might correctly apply them to future irregular warfare.
Jan 25, 2023
Report
Countering Domestic Racially and Ethnically Motivated Violent Terrorism on Social Media
Researchers developed the Racist and Violent Extremist Flock (RVE-Flock) tool to explore and analyze textual content and identify and understand emerging terms and their usage on racially and ethnically motivated violent extremist-affiliated social media. This guide explains and demonstrates the tool's functionality and suggests further applications and refinements.
Feb 23, 2023

Explore Terrorism

Journal Article
Terrorism, Dynamic Commitment Problems, and Military Conflict
Why do states initiate costly wars when the risk posed by terrorism appears marginal? We present two explanations and empirical evidence.
Jun 21, 2023
Report
Language, Labels, and the DHS Lexicon: Analysis to Support a More-Inclusive Lexicon for Securing the Homeland
The authors analyze U.S. Department of Homeland Security documentation, processes, and procedures and then identify ways to improve them and to create an organizational culture that supports the lasting implementation of more-inclusive terminology.
Jun 19, 2023
Commentary
The Case for a Governance-First U.S. Security Policy in the Sahel
Both terrorism and coups are on the rise in the Sahel. To reverse this troubling trend, the United States could ramp up support aimed at improving security governance, professionalizing militaries, and strongly sanctioning all forms of military takeovers in the region. This would require a real shift from the current U.S. security approach in the region.
Jun 8, 2023
Blog
Extremism, Medicaid, Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Law: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on addressing domestic extremism, managing reductions in Medicaid enrollment, the effects of Florida's “Don't Say Gay” law, and more.
May 19, 2023
Report
Countering Violent Nonstate Actor Financing
How do violent nonstate actors finance their operations? What do they use this financing for? And what can the U.S. Army do to disrupt these efforts?
May 16, 2023
Commentary
The United States Needs a Moonshot to Prevent Extremism from Metastasizing
Extremism is like cancer: It will always exist, but ignoring it runs the risk that it rears its ugly head, metastasizing throughout the country. The United States needs to ensure it has the proper tools to diagnose extremism in its earliest stages, and that the agencies tasked with protecting our democracy have the capability to get it into, and keep it in, remission.
May 16, 2023
Blog
RAND Turns 75: A Look Through the Decades At World-Changing Research
From anticipating the Space Age in the 1940s to studying gun policy and COVID-19 responses in the 2020s, RAND is celebrating 75 years of research that has made a difference.
May 8, 2023
Report
Terrorism Net Assessment
In this report, the authors offer a preliminary conception of how to determine the capabilities the United States needs to remain safe from international terrorism.
May 2, 2023
Report
Independent Review of the Homeland Security Grant Program Terrorism Risk Formula and Data
Researchers evaluated the Federal Emergency Management Agency's terrorism risk formula, which considers threat, vulnerability, and consequences of terrorist attacks for allocating resources to the Homeland Security Grant Program.
Apr 19, 2023
Blog
Violence in Schools, Neurodiversity and National Security, Drug Cartels: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on preventing school violence, dealing with drug cartels, the benefits of a neurodivergent national security workforce, and more.
Mar 31, 2023
Blog
20 Years After the Iraq War, China-Russia Ties, Correctional Education: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on reflecting on the Iraq War, the pandemic and prison education, North Korea’s latest threats, and more.
Mar 24, 2023
Commentary
Should Mexico's Drug Cartels Be Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations?
While the outcry over the kidnapping and murder of U.S. citizens by members of the Gulf Cartel in Mexico is understandable, stridency should not preclude strategic assessment. America's problem with drug trafficking is not the lack of statutes, but the magnitude of the problem.
Mar 22, 2023
Q&A
Twenty Years After the Iraq War, a Q&A with RAND Experts
On the 20th anniversary of the war in Iraq, RAND experts discussed what the war means for the people of Iraq and the veterans who fought there, what lessons the U.S. military learned (or did not learn), and what effect it has had on the balance of power in the Middle East and the global reputation of the United States.
Mar 21, 2023
Report
In the Wreckage of ISIS: An Examination of Challenges Confronting Detained and Displaced Populations in Northeastern Syria
The authors examine the humanitarian and security conditions in two Syrian camps for internally displaced persons: al-Hol and Roj. They address concerns about radicalization and highlight challenges in returning displaced residents to their homes.
Mar 9, 2023
Report
Proxy Warfare in Strategic Competition: State Motivations and Future Trends
The authors used quantitative analysis and case studies of China, Iran, and Russia to examine the causes and likely future trends in proxy wars: civil wars in which at least one local warring party receives material support from an external state.
Mar 9, 2023
Report
Proxy Warfare in Strategic Competition: Overarching Findings and Recommendations
This report synthesizes the findings and recommendations from two companion reports on intrastate proxy wars: civil wars in which at least one local warring party receives material support from an external state.
Mar 9, 2023
Report
The Bureaucratic Inertia of U.S. Afghanistan Policy
The U.S. policy goal of preventing Afghanistan from becoming a haven for terrorists remained constant for 20 years even as the dynamics of the war and the will of the policymaking community changed and there was no apparent hope of military victory. Why?
Feb 21, 2023
Report
Naar een evidence-based aanpak van radicalisering en extremisme: Een eerste evaluatie van de gemeentelijke Versterkingsgelden 2020-2021: [Towards an evidence-based approach to tackling radicalisation and extremism: A first evaluation of municipal Reinforcement Funds 2020-2021]
Evaluation of funding (Versterkingsgelden) by the Netherlands government intensifying local preventive measures in combating radicalisation, (violent) extremism and terrorism allocated to municipalities where these issues are most prevalent.
Dec 15, 2022

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Erin Rebhan

Head of Strategic Communications, RAND Homeland Security Research Division

Erin Rebhan (she/her) is head of strategic communications for the Homeland Security Research Division (HSRD) at the RAND Corporation. HSRD operates the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC), a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) for the U.S. Department of…
James A. Thomson

President Emeritus

Jim Thomson is president emeritus of the RAND Corporation and a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School.

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