Books

This analytical chapter/book challenges the universal assumption that communication inherently resolves conflict. Drawing from theoretical and practical lenses, Krauss dissects when, how, and under what conditions communication actually reduces tensions—be it among individuals, communities, or nation-states. The text critiques the simplistic &quo...

Reshaping the Future presents a comprehensive study on the critical role of education in societies recovering from violent conflict. Drawing on extensive literature reviews, country case studies, and data from 52 conflict-affected nations, the book demonstrates how education can contribute not only to rebuilding infrastructure and institutions but ...

This book offers an original and systematic analysis of the "master narratives" used by Islamist extremists to justify violence, recruit followers, and sustain ideological coherence. Drawing from rhetorical and narrative theory, the authors identify thirteen key narratives—such as The Pharaoh, Jahiliyyah, The Battle of Karbala, and The ...

In Psychoanalysis, Culture and Contemporary Discontents, Ricardo Rubinstein offers a clinical and cultural examination of the modern psyche. He engages with pressing contemporary issues such as fanaticism, technology dependency, panic attacks, and the psychological aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, using psychoanalytic theory to explore the inter...

Fanaticism: On the Uses of an Idea is a philosophical and critical examination of the concept of fanaticism. Alberto Toscano interrogates the historical and intellectual uses of the term “fanaticism,” showing how it has been employed to marginalize, delegitimize, or control dissenting political and religious voices. The book explores how “fan...

This book provides a rare and focused study of radical environmental and animal rights groups and their impact on national and international security. Elzbieta Posluszna offers a balanced and evidence-based analysis of the psychological, social, and organizational mechanisms behind extremist factions of environmental activism. It explores well-kno...

This book provides a timely and critical exploration of how coloniality and decoloniality continue to shape understandings of extremism and violence, particularly through the lens of education systems. Helal Hossain Dhali presents an interdisciplinary approach that combines political theory, postcolonial studies, and pedagogy to examine how legacy ...

The Promise of Mediation presents a landmark and award-winning theory and practice of the transformative model of mediation. The authors articulate a humanizing approach that shifts the focus from simply resolving disputes to transforming the relationships and interactions between conflicting parties. The book offers both theoretical foundations an...

Unknowing Fanaticism by Ross Lerner reinterprets the literary and political tensions of the European Reformation, exploring how religious fanaticism was not simply condemned, but also explored as a complex poetic and epistemological issue. The book investigates how early modern thinkers like Martin Luther and John Locke weaponized the term “fanat...

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism is a sociolinguistic investigation into how language plays a central role in the creation and maintenance of cult-like ideologies and communities. Amanda Montell explores a spectrum of groups—from dangerous religious cults like Jonestown and Heaven’s Gate to more mainstream examples such as fitness brands, ML...

Violent Extremism: A Nordic Outlook is especially relevant in today’s climate where both far-right and religiously motivated extremist threats are evolving globally. The Nordic region, once seen as relatively insulated, is now grappling with homegrown radicalization, digital extremism, and returning foreign fighters—challenges that mirror globa...

This book explores the evolution and current challenges of religious tolerance, tracing its philosophical roots to Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke and Voltaire. Denis Lacorne examines how tolerance emerged as a social and political ideal in the West and how it has come under pressure in recent decades. The narrative moves through historical ...

Rousseau and l'Infâme is a comprehensive philosophical and historical study of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's role in Enlightenment debates on religion, toleration, and fanaticism. Drawing on Rousseau’s controversial relationship with Voltaire’s campaign against “l’infâme” (a symbol for religious bigotry and clerical oppression), the...

Max Stirner and the Political Theology of Fanaticism by Jorn Janssen offers a profound philosophical investigation into political fanaticism through the lens of Max Stirner’s radical thought. Stirner, a 19th-century German philosopher often overshadowed by contemporaries like Marx or Nietzsche, is re-examined here as a central figure for understa...

War and Reconciliation offers the first systematic study of reconciliation’s role in restoring peace after civil and international wars. Using 11 civil war case studies and 8 international conflict cases, the authors identify key patterns leading to sustained peace. For civil wars, reconciliation hinges on national forgiveness involving public tr...

This book challenges the conventional view of religion as a source of conflict by exploring Islamic approaches to international conflict resolution, specifically in the Israel-Palestine context. It combines classical and modern Islamic scholarship with historical, social, and political analysis, highlighting how spiritual frameworks can complement ...

This book examines UNTAC’s civil mandate in Cambodia, analyzing UN strategies for post-conflict peacebuilding, governance, and civil administration. It explores the effectiveness, challenges, and lessons learned in UN peacekeeping operations. Its relevance is significant for understanding modern peacekeeping practices, state reconstruction, and t...

This multidisciplinary volume explores the dynamics of global conflict and cooperation, emphasizing how misinformation, diplomacy, and intergovernmental relationships shape peace and regional stability. It examines historical and contemporary conflicts—from the American Revolution to Afghanistan—and addresses modern challenges including terrori...

This book provides a comprehensive evaluation of Africa-EU interregional cooperation on peace and security through case studies in the Central African Republic, Somalia, and Mali. It examines the effectiveness of joint peace operations and highlights lessons for EU foreign policy and conflict resolution. The insights are highly relevant today, as i...

This compendium brings together a series of policy papers and strategic recommendations prepared for the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial 2025 in Berlin. Edited by Annika S. Hansen, the volume examines the future trajectory of United Nations peace operations in the face of evolving global threats such as violent extremism, transnational terrorism, polit...

This policy brief examines the role of local mediation within the broader context of UN peace operations. It highlights the limitations of traditional track-1 mediation processes, which often fail to address the fragmented nature of contemporary conflicts and the needs of local communities. The authors argue that local mediation efforts, such as in...

The Routledge Handbook of the Global South in Sport for Development and Peace presents a comprehensive examination of Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) through the lens of Global South perspectives. Edited by Graeff, Šafaříková, and Sambili-Gicheha, the volume compiles original research and case studies from Africa, Asia, South America, Nor...

Combatting New Forms of Extremism is a policy brief published by RAND Corporation, providing insights into the evolving landscape of extremism, particularly focusing on the impact of digital platforms and social media in facilitating radicalization. The document examines the psychological, social, and political factors contributing to the rise of e...

Elizabeth N. Saunders explores the decisive role political and policy elites play in shaping decisions of war and peace, often sidelining public opinion. By examining cases from the Korean War, Vietnam, Lebanon, Iraq, and Afghanistan, the book argues that conflict and intervention are largely an “insiders’ game,” where networks of policymaker...

Holy Terror is a seminal policy paper by Bruce Hoffman, published by the RAND Corporation in 1993. The paper delves into the distinct characteristics of terrorism motivated by religious imperatives, distinguishing it from secular forms of terrorism. Hoffman argues that for religious terrorists, violence is perceived not merely as a political tool b...

Re-Thinking Terrorism in Light of a War on Terrorism is a policy testimony delivered by Dr. Bruce Hoffman before the Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security of the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on September 26, 2001. In this testimony, Hoffman provides an analysis of the terrorist threat facing the United States in t...

Anti-Terrorism and Peace-Building During and After Conflict examines the complex interplay between counterterrorism efforts and peace-building initiatives in post-conflict settings. Dr. Stepanova argues that while anti-terrorism measures are essential for restoring security, they must be integrated into broader peace-building frameworks to be effec...

Terrorism and Beyond compiles the proceedings of a pivotal 1980 conference organized by the RAND Corporation, bringing together scholars, policymakers, and security experts to examine the evolving nature of terrorism and low-intensity conflicts. The conference addressed four primary areas: the terrorist environment, the terrorist mindset, governmen...

Zane K. Asadi’s The Ill-Logic of Islamophobia critically examines the irrational foundations and consequences of Islamophobia. It delves into how harmful stereotypes—viewing Muslims as monolithic and threatening—are constructed, disseminated, and weaponized to foster fear, hatred, and polarization. Asadi argues that these misconceptions not o...

Safe Havens for Hate by Tamar Mitts examines the shortcomings of online content moderation in curbing extremist networks and hate-based movements. Based on extensive data from over 100 militant and hate organizations worldwide, the book analyzes how varied moderation standards across platforms create loopholes that extremists exploit to coordinate,...

Perspectives on Countering Extremism: Diversion and Disengagement is a comprehensive academic volume that addresses the critical yet often underexplored dimension of early intervention strategies in combating violent extremism. Unlike conventional studies that focus predominantly on the processes of radicalization and counter-radicalization methods...

This book offers a rigorous and thought-provoking exploration of contemporary extremism through the lens of critical theory, with a particular emphasis on marginalized perspectives. Saladdin Ahmed employs a “negative pedagogy,” which centers on learning through unlearning, to interrogate and deconstruct dominant cultural discourses, hidden form...

This report documents the proceedings of the 1st Strategic Workshop on Rehabilitation and De-Radicalization of Militants and Extremists, held in Singapore in May 2010. Organized by the FATA Secretariat Capacity Building Project, the workshop brought together policymakers, academics, security practitioners, and rehabilitation experts to discuss fram...

This comprehensive volume offers an in-depth analysis of the rising trend of far-right political violence across various global contexts. Edited by renowned experts Rohan Gunaratna and Katalin Pethö-Kiss, the book compiles contributions from scholars with nation-specific expertise, providing a comparative perspective on far-right extremism. Key to...

This systematic literature review examines how the Internet contributes to radicalization processes, focusing on both right-wing extremism and jihadism. Through a methodical search strategy, the authors identified 88 relevant studies, revealing that most research emphasizes the structural characteristics of extremist websites while largely ignoring...

This book provides a multi-disciplinary approach to preventing radicalization among youth through schools, advocating for primary prevention by reinforcing social and civic competences. Drawing from citizenship education, positive psychology, peace psychology, and social-emotional learning, it offers a framework for practitioners, educators, and po...

This seminal article by Omar Ashour delves into the underexplored terrain of Islamist de-radicalization, concentrating on the case of Egypt’s Islamic Group (al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya). Through detailed qualitative analysis, Ashour pinpoints four independent variables that significantly contributed to the group's ideological shift away from vi...

In this thought-provoking chapter, Jacques Lenoble critiques Jürgen Habermas's proceduralist paradigm and proposes a reconceptualization of “proceduralization” in legal theory. Challenging Habermas’s unified framework of the “three worlds” (objective, social, and subjective), Lenoble highlights the instability and unpredictability i...

This comprehensive report brings together expert contributions to examine the digital landscape of violent extremism and radicalization. It explores how extremist actors exploit online platforms to recruit, communicate, and propagate ideological narratives. Centering on prevention and response, the volume combines behavioral science insights with t...

This report by Scott Helfstein explores radicalization as both an ideological and social process, emphasizing its coevolutionary nature. It argues that violent extremism cannot be explained solely by ideology or social dynamics but through the interplay between the two. The study highlights how radical ideas resonate with aggrieved groups, how indi...

This book provides a concise yet methodologically rigorous comparative study of religiously motivated political extremism, with a particular focus on political Islam in the Arab world and globally. Using extensive survey data from the Arab Barometer and the World Values Survey, Arno Tausch applies advanced statistical techniques to examine how adhe...

This book examines how waves of political hysteria and mass extremism have repeatedly shaped U.S. history, from the early anti-Masonic movement and the Red Scare to McCarthyism and the aftermath of 9/11. Andrew Burt argues that these episodes reveal a recurring cycle in which fear, conspiracy theories, and exaggerated threats destabilize democratic...

This chapter investigates how moderate Muslim media platforms in Indonesia—NU Online, Islami.co, and IBTimes.id—combat the spread of online Islamic extremism. It situates the shift from violent extremism (bombings, suicide attacks) to non-violent radical strategies (digital propaganda, community infiltration) and highlights how extremist groups...

This empirical study explores the relationship between QAnon conspiracy beliefs, political radicalization, and support for the January 6th Capitol Hill insurrection, with a special emphasis on gender differences. Based on an online survey of 429 U.S. participants, the research measures not only adherence to QAnon narratives but also assesses the in...

This book examines the evolution of the Sweden Democrats (SD) from a radical right-wing fringe party with historical ties to fascism and Nazism into a mainstream political actor within Swedish politics. It explores electoral trends, voter behavior, party strategies, and interactions with other parties, highlighting how a party with extremist roots ...

In this exclusive interview, Dr. Abhay Kumar, a distinguished scholar and activist based in New Delhi, discusses the implications of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies on Nepal and the broader South Asian region. Dr. Kumar critiques Modi's approach to Nepal, highlighting issues such as the erosion of secularism, the rise of Hindu ext...

This concise academic work examines how seemingly marginal small-town politicians can leverage media storms to rapidly gain political prominence and push extremist agendas. Focusing on the case of Darren Bailey, a little-known Republican from Illinois, the book traces his sudden rise to national visibility via Fox News. It explores how the erosion ...

This Element investigates the neurocognitive processes of online radicalization, highlighting how exposure to extremist propaganda videos influences individuals’ cognitive empathy, emotions, and psychological responses. Using electroencephalography (EEG), the book explores the intersection of neuropolitics and radicalization studies, demonstratin...

This report, the third volume in the Diverting Hate series, examines how extremist misogyny within the manosphere has become normalized on mainstream social media platforms. It explores the spread of violent misogynistic ideology and harmful masculinity across platforms like YouTube and Gettr, and examines how such narratives influence younger gene...

Benjamin C. Rouda's article introduces a novel model for understanding the initiation of intergroup conflict, positing that resentment serves as the primary motivator. Drawing from theories in social psychology and international relations, the model outlines how perceived victimization leads to resentment, which then propels individuals toward...