Terrorism and the Pandemic

Rohan Gunaratna is Professor of Security Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore. He is the author of 20 books including The Three Pillars of Radicalization: Needs, Narratives and Networks (2019, Oxford University Press, co-authored with Arie W. Kruglanski and Jocelyn J. Bélanger).

“This important, groundbreaking work will appeal to a range of specialists and more general audiences. The research is well-organized and will contribute to several key public policy areas, and will have a listing impact on several fields.” • John Harrison, Rabdan Academy, Abu Dhabi“This book is an invaluable addition to the literature on terrorism and COVID-19 interconnections.” • Richard J. Chasdi, The George Washington University“Katalin Pethö-Kiss and Rohan Gunaratna have assembled a comprehensive narrative on the status of terrorist violence in the shadow of the pandemic. Sorting through an extensive body of material they assess terrorist motivations, capabilities, and tactics of groups and individuals covering a wide ideological spectrum. This is essential baseline reading for counter terrorism analysts and operators in the current day and future historians looking back on the period.” • John Parachini, RAND Corporation

• List of IllustrationsIntroductionChapter 1. The Evolution of the ThreatChapter 2. How Have Radical Islamists Capitalized on the Pandemic?Chapter 3. How Could Far Right Extremists Exploit the Corona virus Crisis?Chapter 4. Beyond the Radical Islamist and Right-Wing ThreatChapter 5. Novel Terrorist Tactics and TargetsChapter 6. Future Trajectories for Emerging Radical Islamist and Far Right TrendsConclusion: Policy RecommendationsAnnexesAnnex 1. Key Radical Islamist and Far right Messages on the PandemicAnnex 2. Statistics on Extremists’ COVID-19-related ActivitiesIndex