Welcome to the podcast page of the UNOCT Behavioural Insights Hub in Doha, Qatar. Whether you are a policy maker, a project manager, a researcher, a practitioner, or simply want to learn more about the topic, this is the right space to find the latest news on Behavioural insights and its applications to countering terrorism, violent extremism, and radicalization.
The Podcast series will capture the latest research and innovation bringing together experts and decision-makers from around the world to discuss solutions to preventing and countering violent extremism. The programme will comprise of a number of seasons each dedicated to a specific topic.
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Season 1: The Trajectory to radicalization
Season 1 will follow what has been recognized as the trajectory that an individual often takes in becoming radicalized, further leading to violent extremism and committing acts of terrorism. The season will cover the five phases of this trajectory, which include:
- Attraction
- Engagement
- Participation
- Disengagement
- Reintegration
Each phase will have two episodes and each episode will host a different behavioural insights expert, coming from a different field of expertise. The selected experts are recognized as leaders in the field of behavioural sciences, countering terrorism and preventing and countering violent extremism (CT/PCVE).
Attraction to join extremist groups
This episode features Dr. Sophia Moskalenko, a social and clinical psychologist and a research fellow at the Evidence-Based Cybersecurity Group with Georgia State University, who speaks on how and why people are attracted to join extremist groups and become radicalized to commit acts of terrorism. She discusses the role of ideology and the importance of accounting for non-ideological factors, such as emotional triggers and cognitive dissonance.
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This episode continues to explore the attraction of joining extremist groups and becoming radicalized to commit acts of terrorism. It features Mr. Mubin Sheikh who shares his personal experience going through a period of deradicalization, and becoming counter extremism specialist for the U.S.-based NGO, Parents for 色库TV, as well as serving as a professor of public safety at Seneca College in Canada. Mubin shares his unique experiences, and the interview unpacks the mechanisms involved in his radicalization, looking at the role of shame, perceived masculinity, ideology, and role-modeling in the process. This episode also outlines a set of recommendations for preventing attraction to terrorism based on Mubin’s own trajectory and reading of the literature.
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In our third episode, professor Bloom explores the “trajectory of engagement” with conspiracy theories and political movements. She then discusses which typologies of followers present a threat and which do not. The episode ends with a discussion on how to communicate with people who have fallen victim to conspiracy theories.
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In our fourth episode, Dr. Hamid discusses the trajectory of engagement highlighting the importance of social inclusion and the power of social norms in preventing and countering radicalization. Dr. Hamid presents several recommendations based on his research. These include amplifying non-violent peer group voices and communications through storytelling.
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How can neuroscience be applied to countering terrorism and ensuring effective disengagement and reintegration"episodeplayer">
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In our sixth episode, Phil Gurski discusses the trajectory of participation in terrorism stemming from 15 years of experience focussing on radicalization to terrorism with Canada’s Intelligence Service (CSIS/CSE), as well as working in threat and risk consulting and academia (University of Ottawa). Mr Gurski elaborates on the overlap and discrepancies between the data collected for intelligence analysis and research. He outlines commonalities and differences between extremists and violent extremists in identifying violent threat markers, specifically the trajectory of decision-making, which he has observed throughout his career in participating in terrorism related research.
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