Bart Schuurman
Datos Biográficos
| ID | 281840 |
|---|---|
| NOMBRE | Bart Schuurman |
| NOMBRES | Bart |
| APELLIDO | Schuurman |
| FIRMA | SCHUURMAN B |
| AFILIACIONES | Leiden University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2531-0625 |
| VERIFICADO | Sí |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 21 |
| TOTAL DE CITAS | 91 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 21 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMER AÑO DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2010 |
| AÑO MÁS RECIENTE DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2025 |
| ÍNDICE H | 5 |
Who Commits Terrorism Alone? Comparing the Biographical Backgrounds and Radicalization Dynamics of Lone-Actor and Group-Based Terrorists
Why does one person radicalize to involvement in terrorist violence within a group-based context, while another engages in this form of violence alone? Existing research remains subject to limitations related to sample size, ideological and geographical range, and contradictory findings. This article draws on a newly-developed dataset to compare group-based and lone-actor terrorists across a range of predictors. Statistically significant bivariat…
Becoming a European Homegrown Jihadist
n\tHow and why do people become involved in European homegrown jihadism? Why do only some of those who participate in such groups actually go on to use violence? The main objective of this PhD thesis is to address these overarching questions through an in-depth case study of an influential homegrown jihadist group; namely, the Dutch ‘Hofstadgroup’ which was active between 2002 and 2005. The group’s planned and perpetrated acts of violence, most n…
Citizens, Extremists, Terrorists
Empirical research on terrorism has tended to overlook the heterogeneity of the radicalized population, and how, in its heterogeneity, it differs from the general population. This study first asks how radicalized individuals, irrespective of the activities they participated in during their trajectory, differ from the general population. It then divides radicalized individuals into those who use terrorist violence, and those who do not, asking whe…
Adverse childhood experiences, education, and involvement in terrorist violence
Most perpetrators of terrorist violence have had some level of post-secondary school education, with many enrolled in education at the time of their attacks. Exploring this premise in the context of prevention, this article draws from data gathered on a purposive sample (N = 206) of radicalized individuals from Europe and North America, half of whom became involved in terrorist violence at the end of their radicalization trajectories. Through a l…
On the limits of communication
Our qualitative study, consisting of in-depth semi-structured interviews with recent retirees in the Dutch city of Leiden, set out to investigate how communication, through processes of self-identification and the negotiation of social identities, relates to (self-)ageism. A letter from the city administration was used to make age identification salient in our research and prompted stories of various liminal spaces and phases that our participant…
Understanding (non)involvement in terrorist violence
Research summary We compare European and North American radicalization trajectories that led to involvement in terrorist violence ( n = 103) with those for which this outcome did not occur ( n = 103). Regression analyses illustrate how involvement in terrorist violence is determined not only by the presence of risk, but also the absence of protective factors. Bivariate analyses highlight the importance of considering the temporality of these fact…
The Makings of a Terrorist
This article conducts comparative research to advance our understanding of the causes of terrorism. Primarily, by assessing differences and similarities between left-, right- and jihadist extremists and terrorists, the prevalence of certain variables amongst populations of radicalized individuals will be determined. Secondly, by contrasting, where possible, these prevalence rates with representative samples from the broader population, the distin…
Research on Terrorism, 2007–2016
Research on terrorism has long been criticized for its inability to overcome enduring methodological issues. These include an overreliance on secondary sources and the associated literature review methodology, a scarcity of statistical analyses, a tendency for authors to work alone rather than collaborate with colleagues, and the large number of one-time contributors to the field. However, the reviews that have brought these issues to light descr…
Topics in terrorism research
The topical focus of research on terrorism has frequently been critiqued for being too narrow, too event-driven and too strongly tied to governments’ counterterrorism policies. This article uses keyword analysis to assess the degree to which these issues remain present in the literature on terrorism as represented by the 3.442 articles published between 2007 and 2016 in nine of the field’s leading academic journals. Several fluctuations notwithst…
Becoming a European Homegrown Jihadist
Radicalization patterns and modes of attack planning and preparation among lone-actor terrorists
This article explores the link between radicalization patterns and modes of attack planning and preparation among lone-actor terrorists. Building on theorized patterns of lone-actor radicalization, we discuss and compare their modes of pre-attack behavior, including target and weapon choice, observance of operational security measures, likeliness of engaging in leakage behavior, and the overall amount of time devoted to these activities. This exp…
End of the Lone Wolf
This research note argues that the ‘lone wolf’ typology should be fundamentally reconsidered. Based on a three-year empirical research project, two key points are made to support this argument. First, the authors found that ties to online and offline radical milieus are critical to lone actors’ adoption and maintenance of both the motive and capability to commits acts of terrorism. Secondly, in terms of pre-attack behaviors, the majority of lone …
Structural Influences on Involvement in European Homegrown Jihadism
This article empirically assesses the applicability of structural-level hypotheses for involvement in terrorism within the context of European homegrown jihadism. It uses these hypotheses to study how structural factors influenced involvement in the Dutch “Hofstadgroup.” Structural factors enabled the group’s emergence and its participants’ adoption of extremist views. They also motivated involvement in political violence and a shift in some part…
Reintegrating jihadist extremists
In 2012, the Dutch National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism and the Dutch Probation Service launched a reintegration project for offenders on probation or parole who were (suspected to be) involved in jihadist extremism or terrorism. The initiative's primary goal was to reduce the chance of recidivism among this target group. This article presents the results of a one-year evaluation study (2013–2014) that assessed this initiative's…
Indicators of terrorist intent and capability
Behaviors or expressions can (inadvertently) communicate the intention or capability to commit a terrorist attack. Such pre-attack “indicators” can be used to improve police services’ ability to detect and interdict terrorist plots before they materialize. This article explores the concept of terrorism indicators by applying it to seven case studies of home-grown jihadist groups and individuals that occurred in three Western countries between 200…
Operation ‘Serval’
In 2013, France launched Operation ‘Serval’ to halt the southwards advance of Islamist insurgents in Mali. Using a Clausewitzian analytical framework, this article provides an assessment of France’s political and military aims in Mali and the degree to which they have been attained. Clear political goals, coordinated international diplomacy, an effective use of military force and blunders by the rebel forces turned ‘Serval’ into a short-term succ…
The Hofstadgroup Revisited
Despite the Dutch Hofstadgroup's status in the literature as a prime example of a homegrown Salafi-Jihadist terrorist network, the authors, using newly available primary sources, argue that this classification is to a large extent unwarranted. The lack of a rudimentary organizational structure, the existence of divergent views on the legitimacy and desirability of political violence, and the absence of collective action in pursuit of a violent go…
Defeated by Popular Demand
Acquiring and maintaining public support is frequently cited as an important requirement for governments fighting non-state actors. But how exactly can public support influence the course of counterterrorism campaigns and thereby contribute to an escalation or de-escalation of violence? This article argues that public support can provide a mandate for action but that it can also set boundaries for the measures governments and their non-state adve…
The Paradoxes of Negotiating with Terrorist and Insurgent Organisations
Negotiations are neither as straightforward nor indeed as desirable a means of conflict resolution as they may seem. This article discusses three paradoxical aspects of negotiations between states and terrorist or insurgent organisa`tions. First, negotiations may be used by the warring parties to gain time to recuperate or to prepare for a next offensive. Second, negotiations can cause splits to occur in the parties conducting them, promoting mor…
Trinitarian troubles
It seems paradoxical that powerful Western states are at their most vulnerable when the disparity in military capabilities between them and their opponents is at its largest. Yet it is precisely in such ‘asymmetric conflicts’ that Western countries have failed to achieve their overall political objectives the most often. Focusing on the post-1945 world, this article will examine governmental, military, and societal reasons for Western failures in…
Clausewitz and the “New Wars” Scholars
S ince the Second World War, western armed forces have been most suc- cessful against opponents whose weapons, methods of organization, and ways of thinking closely resembled their own. Conflicts such as Israel's Six-Day War (1967) and the first Gulf War (1991) exemplified western militaries' excellence at defeating those adversaries who closely matched their own capabilities. The collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s seemed to underlin…
End of the Lone Wolf
This research note argues that the ‘lone wolf’ typology should be fundamentally reconsidered. Based on a three-year empirical research project, two key points are made to support this argument. First, the authors found that ties to online and offline radical milieus are critical to lone actors’ adoption and maintenance of both the motive and capability to commits acts of terrorism. Secondly, in terms of pre-attack behaviors, the majority of lone …
Topics in terrorism research
The topical focus of research on terrorism has frequently been critiqued for being too narrow, too event-driven and too strongly tied to governments’ counterterrorism policies. This article uses keyword analysis to assess the degree to which these issues remain present in the literature on terrorism as represented by the 3.442 articles published between 2007 and 2016 in nine of the field’s leading academic journals. Several fluctuations notwithst…
Operation ‘Serval’
In 2013, France launched Operation ‘Serval’ to halt the southwards advance of Islamist insurgents in Mali. Using a Clausewitzian analytical framework, this article provides an assessment of France’s political and military aims in Mali and the degree to which they have been attained. Clear political goals, coordinated international diplomacy, an effective use of military force and blunders by the rebel forces turned ‘Serval’ into a short-term succ…
The Paradoxes of Negotiating with Terrorist and Insurgent Organisations
Negotiations are neither as straightforward nor indeed as desirable a means of conflict resolution as they may seem. This article discusses three paradoxical aspects of negotiations between states and terrorist or insurgent organisa`tions. First, negotiations may be used by the warring parties to gain time to recuperate or to prepare for a next offensive. Second, negotiations can cause splits to occur in the parties conducting them, promoting mor…
Reintegrating jihadist extremists
In 2012, the Dutch National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism and the Dutch Probation Service launched a reintegration project for offenders on probation or parole who were (suspected to be) involved in jihadist extremism or terrorism. The initiative's primary goal was to reduce the chance of recidivism among this target group. This article presents the results of a one-year evaluation study (2013–2014) that assessed this initiative's…
Defeated by Popular Demand
Acquiring and maintaining public support is frequently cited as an important requirement for governments fighting non-state actors. But how exactly can public support influence the course of counterterrorism campaigns and thereby contribute to an escalation or de-escalation of violence? This article argues that public support can provide a mandate for action but that it can also set boundaries for the measures governments and their non-state adve…
Understanding (non)involvement in terrorist violence
Research summary We compare European and North American radicalization trajectories that led to involvement in terrorist violence ( n = 103) with those for which this outcome did not occur ( n = 103). Regression analyses illustrate how involvement in terrorist violence is determined not only by the presence of risk, but also the absence of protective factors. Bivariate analyses highlight the importance of considering the temporality of these fact…
Structural Influences on Involvement in European Homegrown Jihadism
This article empirically assesses the applicability of structural-level hypotheses for involvement in terrorism within the context of European homegrown jihadism. It uses these hypotheses to study how structural factors influenced involvement in the Dutch “Hofstadgroup.” Structural factors enabled the group’s emergence and its participants’ adoption of extremist views. They also motivated involvement in political violence and a shift in some part…
Indicators of terrorist intent and capability
Behaviors or expressions can (inadvertently) communicate the intention or capability to commit a terrorist attack. Such pre-attack “indicators” can be used to improve police services’ ability to detect and interdict terrorist plots before they materialize. This article explores the concept of terrorism indicators by applying it to seven case studies of home-grown jihadist groups and individuals that occurred in three Western countries between 200…
The Hofstadgroup Revisited
Despite the Dutch Hofstadgroup's status in the literature as a prime example of a homegrown Salafi-Jihadist terrorist network, the authors, using newly available primary sources, argue that this classification is to a large extent unwarranted. The lack of a rudimentary organizational structure, the existence of divergent views on the legitimacy and desirability of political violence, and the absence of collective action in pursuit of a violent go…
The Makings of a Terrorist
This article conducts comparative research to advance our understanding of the causes of terrorism. Primarily, by assessing differences and similarities between left-, right- and jihadist extremists and terrorists, the prevalence of certain variables amongst populations of radicalized individuals will be determined. Secondly, by contrasting, where possible, these prevalence rates with representative samples from the broader population, the distin…
Radicalization patterns and modes of attack planning and preparation among lone-actor terrorists
This article explores the link between radicalization patterns and modes of attack planning and preparation among lone-actor terrorists. Building on theorized patterns of lone-actor radicalization, we discuss and compare their modes of pre-attack behavior, including target and weapon choice, observance of operational security measures, likeliness of engaging in leakage behavior, and the overall amount of time devoted to these activities. This exp…
Trinitarian troubles
It seems paradoxical that powerful Western states are at their most vulnerable when the disparity in military capabilities between them and their opponents is at its largest. Yet it is precisely in such ‘asymmetric conflicts’ that Western countries have failed to achieve their overall political objectives the most often. Focusing on the post-1945 world, this article will examine governmental, military, and societal reasons for Western failures in…
Clausewitz and the “New Wars” Scholars
S ince the Second World War, western armed forces have been most suc- cessful against opponents whose weapons, methods of organization, and ways of thinking closely resembled their own. Conflicts such as Israel's Six-Day War (1967) and the first Gulf War (1991) exemplified western militaries' excellence at defeating those adversaries who closely matched their own capabilities. The collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s seemed to underlin…
The Paradoxes of Negotiating with Terrorist and Insurgent Organisations
Negotiations are neither as straightforward nor indeed as desirable a means of conflict resolution as they may seem. This article discusses three paradoxical aspects of negotiations between states and terrorist or insurgent organisa`tions. First, negotiations may be used by the warring parties to gain time to recuperate or to prepare for a next offensive. Second, negotiations can cause splits to occur in the parties conducting them, promoting mor…
Trinitarian troubles
It seems paradoxical that powerful Western states are at their most vulnerable when the disparity in military capabilities between them and their opponents is at its largest. Yet it is precisely in such ‘asymmetric conflicts’ that Western countries have failed to achieve their overall political objectives the most often. Focusing on the post-1945 world, this article will examine governmental, military, and societal reasons for Western failures in…
Defeated by Popular Demand
Acquiring and maintaining public support is frequently cited as an important requirement for governments fighting non-state actors. But how exactly can public support influence the course of counterterrorism campaigns and thereby contribute to an escalation or de-escalation of violence? This article argues that public support can provide a mandate for action but that it can also set boundaries for the measures governments and their non-state adve…
Reintegrating jihadist extremists
In 2012, the Dutch National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism and the Dutch Probation Service launched a reintegration project for offenders on probation or parole who were (suspected to be) involved in jihadist extremism or terrorism. The initiative's primary goal was to reduce the chance of recidivism among this target group. This article presents the results of a one-year evaluation study (2013–2014) that assessed this initiative's…
Indicators of terrorist intent and capability
Behaviors or expressions can (inadvertently) communicate the intention or capability to commit a terrorist attack. Such pre-attack “indicators” can be used to improve police services’ ability to detect and interdict terrorist plots before they materialize. This article explores the concept of terrorism indicators by applying it to seven case studies of home-grown jihadist groups and individuals that occurred in three Western countries between 200…
Operation ‘Serval’
In 2013, France launched Operation ‘Serval’ to halt the southwards advance of Islamist insurgents in Mali. Using a Clausewitzian analytical framework, this article provides an assessment of France’s political and military aims in Mali and the degree to which they have been attained. Clear political goals, coordinated international diplomacy, an effective use of military force and blunders by the rebel forces turned ‘Serval’ into a short-term succ…
The Hofstadgroup Revisited
Despite the Dutch Hofstadgroup's status in the literature as a prime example of a homegrown Salafi-Jihadist terrorist network, the authors, using newly available primary sources, argue that this classification is to a large extent unwarranted. The lack of a rudimentary organizational structure, the existence of divergent views on the legitimacy and desirability of political violence, and the absence of collective action in pursuit of a violent go…
Structural Influences on Involvement in European Homegrown Jihadism
This article empirically assesses the applicability of structural-level hypotheses for involvement in terrorism within the context of European homegrown jihadism. It uses these hypotheses to study how structural factors influenced involvement in the Dutch “Hofstadgroup.” Structural factors enabled the group’s emergence and its participants’ adoption of extremist views. They also motivated involvement in political violence and a shift in some part…
Radicalization patterns and modes of attack planning and preparation among lone-actor terrorists
This article explores the link between radicalization patterns and modes of attack planning and preparation among lone-actor terrorists. Building on theorized patterns of lone-actor radicalization, we discuss and compare their modes of pre-attack behavior, including target and weapon choice, observance of operational security measures, likeliness of engaging in leakage behavior, and the overall amount of time devoted to these activities. This exp…
End of the Lone Wolf
This research note argues that the ‘lone wolf’ typology should be fundamentally reconsidered. Based on a three-year empirical research project, two key points are made to support this argument. First, the authors found that ties to online and offline radical milieus are critical to lone actors’ adoption and maintenance of both the motive and capability to commits acts of terrorism. Secondly, in terms of pre-attack behaviors, the majority of lone …
Becoming a European Homegrown Jihadist
Topics in terrorism research
The topical focus of research on terrorism has frequently been critiqued for being too narrow, too event-driven and too strongly tied to governments’ counterterrorism policies. This article uses keyword analysis to assess the degree to which these issues remain present in the literature on terrorism as represented by the 3.442 articles published between 2007 and 2016 in nine of the field’s leading academic journals. Several fluctuations notwithst…
Research on Terrorism, 2007–2016
Research on terrorism has long been criticized for its inability to overcome enduring methodological issues. These include an overreliance on secondary sources and the associated literature review methodology, a scarcity of statistical analyses, a tendency for authors to work alone rather than collaborate with colleagues, and the large number of one-time contributors to the field. However, the reviews that have brought these issues to light descr…
Understanding (non)involvement in terrorist violence
Research summary We compare European and North American radicalization trajectories that led to involvement in terrorist violence ( n = 103) with those for which this outcome did not occur ( n = 103). Regression analyses illustrate how involvement in terrorist violence is determined not only by the presence of risk, but also the absence of protective factors. Bivariate analyses highlight the importance of considering the temporality of these fact…
The Makings of a Terrorist
This article conducts comparative research to advance our understanding of the causes of terrorism. Primarily, by assessing differences and similarities between left-, right- and jihadist extremists and terrorists, the prevalence of certain variables amongst populations of radicalized individuals will be determined. Secondly, by contrasting, where possible, these prevalence rates with representative samples from the broader population, the distin…
Adverse childhood experiences, education, and involvement in terrorist violence
Most perpetrators of terrorist violence have had some level of post-secondary school education, with many enrolled in education at the time of their attacks. Exploring this premise in the context of prevention, this article draws from data gathered on a purposive sample (N = 206) of radicalized individuals from Europe and North America, half of whom became involved in terrorist violence at the end of their radicalization trajectories. Through a l…
On the limits of communication
Our qualitative study, consisting of in-depth semi-structured interviews with recent retirees in the Dutch city of Leiden, set out to investigate how communication, through processes of self-identification and the negotiation of social identities, relates to (self-)ageism. A letter from the city administration was used to make age identification salient in our research and prompted stories of various liminal spaces and phases that our participant…
Who Commits Terrorism Alone? Comparing the Biographical Backgrounds and Radicalization Dynamics of Lone-Actor and Group-Based Terrorists
Why does one person radicalize to involvement in terrorist violence within a group-based context, while another engages in this form of violence alone? Existing research remains subject to limitations related to sample size, ideological and geographical range, and contradictory findings. This article draws on a newly-developed dataset to compare group-based and lone-actor terrorists across a range of predictors. Statistically significant bivariat…
Becoming a European Homegrown Jihadist
n\tHow and why do people become involved in European homegrown jihadism? Why do only some of those who participate in such groups actually go on to use violence? The main objective of this PhD thesis is to address these overarching questions through an in-depth case study of an influential homegrown jihadist group; namely, the Dutch ‘Hofstadgroup’ which was active between 2002 and 2005. The group’s planned and perpetrated acts of violence, most n…
Citizens, Extremists, Terrorists
Empirical research on terrorism has tended to overlook the heterogeneity of the radicalized population, and how, in its heterogeneity, it differs from the general population. This study first asks how radicalized individuals, irrespective of the activities they participated in during their trajectory, differ from the general population. It then divides radicalized individuals into those who use terrorist violence, and those who do not, asking whe…
Political science (19 obras) · Law (18 obras) · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence (17 obras) · Criminology (14 obras) · Sociology (14 obras) · Terrorism (14 obras) · Law (10 obras) · Psychology (10 obras) · Computer Science (8 obras) · Social Psychology (7 obras)