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Violent Extremism

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Commentary
The Promise—and Pitfalls—of Researching Extremism Online
How big of a problem is extremism in the United States and around the world? Is it getting worse? Are social media platforms responsible, or did the internet simply reveal existing trends? We have few answers because this research is easy to do poorly and hard to do well.
Jul 17, 2023
Report
Veterans Don't Support Extremist Groups Any More Than the Public Does
Radical groups find military members and veterans attractive potential recruits because of their skills and training. But the veteran community does not manifest higher support for extremist groups or beliefs than the general population.
Sep 11, 2023

Explore Violent Extremism

Multimedia
Preventing Domestic Violent Extremism: Insights from RAND Research
RAND researchers Pauline Moore, Todd Helmus, and Alexandra Evans discuss the complex challenges of countering domestic violent extremism in the United States. Their research offers insights into trends, key actors in the extremist community, and factors that lead to joining or leaving extremist groups.
Nov 30, 2023
Report
Assessing Shifts in U.S. Department of Homeland Security Targeted Violence Prevention Efforts Through Early 2022
This report characterizes changes made in U.S. Department of Homeland Security efforts to prevent targeted violence, including the extent of change and how those changes responded to concerns about efforts to counter violent extremism.
Nov 30, 2023
Commentary
The Israel-Hamas War Has Upended the Terrorist Threat Matrix
Today's terrorist threat matrix seems more like an abstract expressionist painting. To those accustomed to traditional landscapes, it is difficult to discern what it depicts. The fighting in Gaza may well provoke terrorist repercussions beyond the region, the magnitude and shape of which will depend on the course of the conflict.
Nov 22, 2023
Periodical
RAND Review: November-December 2023
Features explore the use of psychedelics to address depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorders among veterans, and the prevalence of food insecurity among active-duty military families and veterans.
Nov 9, 2023
Commentary
How to Put RAND Findings on Veteran Support for Extremism in Context
A RAND survey found that U.S. veterans appeared to support extremist groups at a rate lower than the general population. In contrast, a new University of Maryland study found that veteran status was the most prominent characteristic among extremists involved in terrorism attacks with four or more victims.
Sep 11, 2023
Journal Article
Weakened States Pose Problems for War Scenarios
Any question of conflict between the United States and China must take into account diminishing state legitimacy and capacity, the privatization of violence, and the rise of non-state actors and identities.
Aug 21, 2023
Commentary
When Mass Shooters Are Seeking Fame
What motivates mass shooters? And what might break the cycle of violence? Developing an effective policy response first requires better understanding of the factors that drive would-be attackers to kill.
Jul 13, 2023
Report
How Violent Extremists Behave Online
Exploitation of the internet by violent extremists is as old as the technology itself. But ideologically motivated violent extremism (IMVE) actors generally, and especially in online spaces, have been adapting to and adopting the evolving technological landscape in more sophisticated ways.
Jun 28, 2023
Blog
Extremist Beliefs Among Veterans, Space Traffic, Teacher Well-Being: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on whether extremist beliefs are more prevalent among veterans, why it's time to manage traffic in outer space, crises facing the Russian military, and more.
Jun 9, 2023
News Release
Support for Extremism Among U.S. Military Veterans Is Similar to Public at Large
Support among military veterans for extremist groups and extremist ideals appears similar to or less than levels seen among the U.S. public in general, despite fears that it could be higher.
May 23, 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
Tool
Mass Atrocity Prevention Open Educational Resource (OER)
Understanding past mass violence events is key to preventing mass atrocities. This resource provides an overview of Holocaust education and atrocity prevention to help users consider their roles in social justice promotion and atrocity prevention.
May 2, 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
Report
Assessing the Prospects for Great Power Cooperation in the Global Commons
This report, part of a four-part series, describes the potential for U.S. cooperation with China or Russia on global commons issues, including freedom of access to space, countering violent extremist organizations, and promoting global stability.
Feb 20, 2023
Commentary
Prospects for Bipartisanship in a Divided Country
Political polarization affects democracy and discourse about public policy. But a series of workshops with diverse stakeholders discussing sensitive policy issues found that Americans from different demographic, economic, political, professional, and social backgrounds can reach consensus.
Jan 19, 2023

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Hunter Stoll

Defense Analyst

Hunter Stoll is a defense analyst at the RAND Corporation. His research interests include Russian foreign policy, transatlantic security, information warfare, and domestic extremism. He has served in multiple components of the U.S. Army for over nine years, primarily as an intelligence officer.…
Fook Nederveen

Senior Analyst

Fook Nederveen is a senior analyst at the RAND Corporation. His research mainly focuses on security and criminal justice. He is based in RAND’s Brussels office and has primarily worked on studies commissioned by the EU (including by DG HOME, DG JUST, DG CNECT, OLAF, EDA, and JRC) and the Dutch…

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