May 29, 2019

Owl in the Olive Tree post on "Telegram and Online Addiction to Terrorist Propaganda"

Minerva-funded researcher Mia Bloom's Owl in the Olive Tree blog post on "Telegram and Online Addiction to Terrorist Propaganda."The online media platforms of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) blend graphic audiovisual content with ideological religious writings to sanction and justify violent terrorist tactics throughout the world. ISIS

May 3, 2019

2019 Minerva FOA posted

The 2019 Minerva Funding Opportunity Announcement is posted! White Papers are due June 20; Full Proposals are due September 26. See Research Priorities for more details.

March 27, 2019

Owl in the Olive Tree post on "Understanding How Populations Perceive U.S. Troop Deployment"

Minerva-funded researchers Michael A. Allen, Michael Flynn, Carla Martinez Machain, and Andrew Stravers' Owl in the Olive Tree blog post on "Understanding How Populations Perceive U.S. Troop Deployments."A mainstay of U.S. foreign policy in the Post-War era has been the deployment of hundreds of thousands of military personnel to countries around

Feb. 25, 2019

Owl in the Olive Tree post on "Language Patterns in International Relations"

Minerva-funded researcher Leah Windsor's Owl in the Olive Tree blog post on "Language Patterns in International Relations"."Language, and the meaning behind it, represents an ongoing challenge to understanding the intentions of others. How can we know if a leader is making a credible threat, or just bluffing? When do leaders’ words signal their

Jan. 17, 2019

Owl in the Olive Tree post on "Engaging Overseas: Lessons from Afghanistan and Beyond"

Minerva-funded researchers Eli Berman and Jacob N. Shapiro Owl in the Olive Tree blog post on "Engaging Overseas: Lessons for Afghanistan and Beyond":"President Trump’s announcement of further troop reductions in Afghanistan raises a substantive question. To what end are US forces engaged at all, after 17 years of a conflict that remains

Dec. 25, 2018

Artificial Intelligence and the Military: Technology Is Only Half the Battle

Horowitz, Michael, and Casey Mahoney. 2018. Artificial Intelligence and the Military: Technology Is Only Half the Battle. War on the Rocks. December 25.

Dec. 17, 2018

Owl in the Olive Tree post on "Radicalism and Cultural Homelessness"

Minerva-funded researchers Sarah Lyons-Padilla and Michele J. Gelfand submit the first Owl in the Olive Tree blog post on their research into "Radicalism and Cultural Homelessness". "Events like the 2015 Paris attacks, the 2015 San Bernardino shootings, the 2016 Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting, the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, and others since are seared into our memories. While many details of these attacks were different, they do have a striking commonality: these attacks were perpetrated by immigrant residents or citizens of the targeted country. Such tragedies raise a puzzling question: what would make someone turn against their own country?..." Read more

March 2, 2017

Minerva Researcher Generates New Database of Jihadist Activities with Indicators for Identifying and Tracking Radicalization

Jytte Klausen, a Minerva-funded researcher at Brandeis University, has compiled a unique comprehensive database of networks and activities of Western Jihadists through an innovative integration of new interview techniques, media analytics, and network modeling, enabling identification of previously unknown relationships among radicalization

Feb. 24, 2017

Scott Atran analyses the limits of rational choice in political and cultural conflict

Scott Atran. 2017. Scott Atran analyses the limits of rational choice in political and cultural conflict.

Feb. 17, 2017

Minerva researchers develop Rebel Contraband Dataset

Minerva researchers Justin Conrad, Beth Elise Whitaker, and James Igoe Walsh (University of North Carolina - Charlotte) have developed the first-ever Rebel Contraband Dataset as part of their Minerva-funded research. The dataset provides new and regularly updated annual data on rebel activities and control of natural resources and other illicit