Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday October 22, 2014
Conservative government orders studies into homegrown terrorism
A day after committing six fighter jets and hundreds of personnel to the fight against the Islamic State, the federal Conservatives are commissioning five new studies into homegrown terrorism and terrorist financing.
Public Safety Canada issued a call for five new research projects into a variety of terrorism-related topics Wednesday, including the domestic impact of international conflict and the role of the internet in terrorist recruiting.
ÒA prominent threat facing CanadaÕs national security . . . is radicalization leading to violence, including homegrown violent extremism,Ó reads the call for proposals.
ÒThese cases are rare, but the impact of an act of terrorism is potentially enormous, with serious and lasting psychological and emotional harm to a large number of individuals, as well as economic impact and/or the creation or escalation of tensions between communities and countries.Ó
The research will consider a number of questions:
How does the Òpsychology of the internetÓ play into terrorist activities and recruitment?
What are the domestic impacts of international conflicts, such as the war in Iraq?
What are the gender dynamics involved in radicalization to violence?
How are resources transferred to terrorist organizations? How are those resources moved and used?
What makes people susceptible to recruitment into violent extremism?
The research will be funded by the Kanishka Project, a five-year, $10 million fund created in 2011 to study security issues.
Despite the governmentÕs mockery of political opponents for searching for the Òroot causesÓ of terrorism or Òengaging in sociology,Ó Prime Minister Stephen HarperÕs government has committed around $5 million to similar research over the last three years. (Source: Toronto Star) http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/10/08/conservative_government_