March 2026: Terrorism Trends and Prevention

The terrorism landscape is rapidly shifting due to decentralized actors, self-radicalized extremists, and increasingly complex digital pathways to violence. Analyzing past counterterrorism wins and failures shows how stronger partnerships and prepared responders can drive more adaptable, trust-driven strategies suited to today’s evolving threats.

GUEST EDITORS: Nismal Iqbal and Quenten Vereen

Articles

• The Threat Landscape Through Expert Eyes

  By Thomas O’Connor, Special Agent (Ret.), Washington Field Office, FBI
  I think my experiences as a local patrol officer, a detective, a patrol sergeant, and a detective sergeant are the baseline for everything I’ve done in my 37 years in law enforcement. That work taug...

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• Charting a Path to Effective Counterterrorism

  By Richard English, Professor of Politics, Queen’s University Belfast, UK
  Responses to terrorism remain a huge priority for police and governments around the world. Recent years have reinforced this painful reality. The Hamas attack in Israel on October 7, ...

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• Public-Private Partnerships in the Age of Targeted Violence

  By John Wyman, Special Agent (Ret.), FBI, and David J. Heckman, Chief, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Public Safety
  Corporations have long faced a spectrum of complex risks. From cyberattacks to geopolitical challenges, the speed and depth of crises handled by security teams have increased dramatically in r...

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• Lighting the Shadows

  By Robert Barrett, PhD, Senior Associate in Strategy, Culture, and Behavior, and Hrach Gregorian, PhD, President, Institute of World Affairs, Washington, DC
  Global terrorism is an abstract phenomenon that becomes concrete mostly at the local level, particularly for first responders like police and firefighters whose core mission is to protect public safet...

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