Security and Counterterrorism

Research Briefs are short, engaging and accessibly written descriptions of the results of TSAS-funded research projects, focusing on top-level conclusions and policy relevance.

Research Reports are longer, evidence-based, policy-relevant scholarly analyses on topics related to terrorism, security, and society, broadly defined, that touch on Canada, Canadian issues in comparative context, or global issues of interest to a Canadian audience.

Working Papers are scholarly analyses of various lengths that provide analysis based on TSAS-funded research projects. We are no longer accepting submissions for this series.

Working Paper 2016 Title
WORKING PAPER

Policies and Responsibilities for Governing Violent Extremism at Ontario Universities

This research looks at the governance of violent extremism on Ontario university campuses. Specifically, it explores: 1) how Ontario universities are governed; 2) how student organizations (such as clubs) and student governments are governed, and; 3) pre-existing policies that could apply to the governance of violent extremism. The policies of ten universities and the governance…

Working Paper 2015 Title
WORKING PAPER

Traits de personnalité et terrorisme

Plusieurs chercheurs ont conclu que les traits de personnalité ne peuvent pas être liés au terrorisme. Cette conclusion est maintenant admise comme un fait dans les cercles académiques et gouvernementaux, ainsi que dans le monde du renseignement. Cependant, un examen méthodique de la documentation scientifique pertinente n’a révélé aucune preuve à cet effet, et n’a…

Working Paper 2015 Title
WORKING PAPER

Personality Traits and Terrorism

Many researchers claim that individuals who engage in terrorism do not share distinct personality traits, a claim well accepted in academia, government, and the intelligence community. A thorough review of the literature, however, has yielded no evidence for this claim and found only three studies where the personality traits of terrorists were measured. Each study…

Working Paper 2015 Title
WORKING PAPER

Terrorist Babble and the Limits of the Law: Assessing a Prospective Canadian Terrorism Glorification Offence

Since 2007, the Canadian government has repeatedly expressed interest in a terrorism “glorification” offence, responding to internet materials regarded by officials as terrorist propaganda and as promoting “radicalization”. In the wake of the October 2014 attacks, this idea clearly remains on the government’s shortlist of responses. This article addresses the merits of such a criminal…

Working Paper 2015 Title
WORKING PAPER

The Global Fight Against Terror: An Analysis of the Effectiveness of Counter-terrorism Governance

What does counter-terrorism governance currently look like at the national, regional, and global levels, how effective has it been, and what are some possible ways forward? Since 9/11, intense efforts have been undertaken at all levels of government to strengthen and expand counterterrorism governance. While these efforts are correlated with a reduction in terrorist activity…

Working Paper 2014 Title
WORKING PAPER

A Systematic Approach to Develop a Computational Framework for Counter-terrorism and Public Safety

Can agent-based modelling and virtual environment technologies be used to create a decision support, response planning and risk assessment system for emergence preparedness? By using state-of-the-art agent-based modelling and virtual environment technologies, we have built an affordable, flexible and powerful system for decision support, response planning and risk assessment. This system allows the user to…

Working Paper 2014 Title
WORKING PAPER

The Effectiveness & Effects of Canada’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Teams

This paper is part of a larger project that studies the emergence of the idea of integration together with its implications. This paper asks: how has the idea of integration been institutionalized in Canada? What are its implications? Moreover, how should we study the effectiveness and effects of counter-terrorism institutions? The idea of integration in…

Working Paper 2013 Title
WORKING PAPER

Le projet de loi antiterroriste canadien: une sélection sécuritaire

Comment les parlementaires canadiens ont-ils défini le problème du terrorisme dans le cadre des débats sur le projet de loi antiterroriste canadien (C-36), qui ont eu lieu du 15 octobre 2001 au 18 décembre 2001? Quels impacts ces différentes constructions discursives ont-elles eus sur les solutions préconisées par les parlementaires et celles adoptées dans le…

Working Paper 2013 Title
WORKING PAPER

C, B, R, or N: The Influence of Related Industry on Terrorists’ Choice in Unconventional Weapons

Which factors, given that a terrorist has crossed the threshold into unconventional over conventional weapons, will determine the likelihood that he/she chooses to use C, B, R, or N weapons? In particular, is it true that the more readily CBRN technology, materials, and knowledge are accessible to terrorists, the more likely terrorists will be to…

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