Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism

Our mission is to advance education, research, and intelligence analysis across the critical domains of domestic extremism, transnational emerging threats, and trust and safety tech policy, to drive change in pursuit of a more just world.

Research

We go beyond the page to produce work that is not only academically excellent, but deeply policy relevant.

Intelligence 

At CTEC, we examine the full spectrum of terrorism and extremism to provide bespoke analysis for tech and government clients.

Education

We leverage experiential learning to train the next generation of intelligence and security researchers and analysts to respond to emerging threats.

CTEC is integrated into the curriculum of several Middlebury Institute degree and certificate programs, giving students opportunities to gain real-world work experience as paid research assistants: 

• MA in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies
• Financial Crime Management
• Terrorism Studies Certificate

Areas of Focus

CTEC focuses on three topics: Trust & Safety, Extremism, and Transnational Emerging Threats. 

Trust and Safety is the policies, procedures, and technologies aimed at protecting users from harm, ensuring data security, and fostering a respectful and inclusive online environment. This involves the proactive identification and mitigation of risks related to privacy breaches, cyberbullying, fraud, and other forms of abuse, thereby promoting a safe and trustworthy user experience across digital platforms.

Extremism

Extremism, as defined by senior fellow J.M. Berger’s seminal work Extremism, is “the belief that an in-group’s success or survival can never be separated from the need for hostile action against an out-group.” Our work focuses on the full spectrum of extremism, from lawful to violent. Critically, we understand terrorism to be a tactic, while extremism is a belief system.

Transnational Emerging Threats

Transnational emerging threats are the complex and evolving challenges that cross national borders, impacting global security and stability. These threats encompass a wide range of issues including cyber attacks, terrorism, organized crime, pandemics, climate change, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. At CTEC, we are particularly focused on those threats posed by non-state actors. Addressing these threats requires coordinated international efforts, innovative policy solutions, and the integration of advanced technologies to detect, mitigate, and respond to incidents that can rapidly escalate and have widespread consequences for societies, economies, and international relations.