Magnus Ranstorp
Encyclopedia
Dr Magnus Ranstorp, born March 13, 1965 in Hästveda
, studies Hizballah, Hamas
, al-Qaeda
and other militant
Islamic movements
. He is the Research Director of the Centre for Asymmetric Threat
Studies at the Swedish National Defence College, directing a project on Strategic Terrorist Threats to Europe which focuses on both radicalisation and recruitment of salafist-jihadist terrorists across Europe and the convergence between CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radioactive and Nuclear Weapons) and Terrorism.
Ranstorp graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College
in Saint Peter, Minnesota in 1985. He recently received a Distinguished Alumni Citation from Gustavus.
Previously he was the Director of Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV) at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. He is the author of Hizballah in Lebanon and other articles and monographs on terrorism and counter-terrorism. his most recent edited book was Mapping Terrorism Research: State of the Art, Gaps and Future Direction (Routledge, 2006). He is on the international editorial advisory board of the academic journal Studies in Conflict and Terrorism and on the editorial boards of two relatively new international, peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journals published by Taylor & Francis: Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict and Critical Studies on Terrorism
.
He is advisor to the Terrorism Project on Violent Radicalisation led by the Danish Institute of International Studies, scientific advisor to the DHS Center of Excellence START programme led by the University of Maryland, and on the Advisory Board of CSTPV, University of St Andrews.
His field work around the world has included interviewing hundreds of terrorists and members of militant Islamic movements. His work on the behaviour of the Hizballah movement was recognized by Israeli media in March 2000 as among the contributing factors leading to the decision by the Israeli government to withdraw from southern Lebanon. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 on the United States (9/11), CNN named Ranstorp its principal terrorism expert.
Ranstorp has briefed senior government and security officials from around the world, and lectures regularly to universities, think tank
s and intergovernmental organisations. In 2003 he was invited to testify before the first hearing of the 9/11 Commission
.
He was a member of an Advisory Panel on Terrorism in Europe advising the EU counter-terrorism coordinator. In 2005 he was a contributor to the George C. Marshall Center directed project on "Ideological War on Terror: Synthesizing Strategies Worldwide" (funded by the Office of the US Secretary of Defense). In 2006 Ranstorp was invited to join the European Commission Expert Group on Violent Radicalisation, an official advisory body on all matters relating to violent radicalisation and recruitment of extremists within the EU.
He is an elected Fellow of The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences
.
Hästveda
Hästveda is a locality situated in Hässleholm Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 1,682 inhabitants in 2005....
, studies Hizballah, Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
, al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
and other militant
Militant
The word militant, which is both an adjective and a noun, usually is used to mean vigorously active, combative and aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in 'militant reformers'. It comes from the 15th century Latin "militare" meaning "to serve as a soldier"...
Islamic movements
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
. He is the Research Director of the Centre for Asymmetric Threat
Asymmetric warfare
Asymmetric warfare is war between belligerents whose relative military power differs significantly, or whose strategy or tactics differ significantly....
Studies at the Swedish National Defence College, directing a project on Strategic Terrorist Threats to Europe which focuses on both radicalisation and recruitment of salafist-jihadist terrorists across Europe and the convergence between CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radioactive and Nuclear Weapons) and Terrorism.
Ranstorp graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College
Gustavus Adolphus College
Gustavus Adolphus College is a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in St. Peter, Minnesota, United States. A coeducational, four-year, residential institution, it was founded in 1862 by Swedish Americans. To this day the school is firmly...
in Saint Peter, Minnesota in 1985. He recently received a Distinguished Alumni Citation from Gustavus.
Previously he was the Director of Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV) at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. He is the author of Hizballah in Lebanon and other articles and monographs on terrorism and counter-terrorism. his most recent edited book was Mapping Terrorism Research: State of the Art, Gaps and Future Direction (Routledge, 2006). He is on the international editorial advisory board of the academic journal Studies in Conflict and Terrorism and on the editorial boards of two relatively new international, peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journals published by Taylor & Francis: Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict and Critical Studies on Terrorism
Critical Terrorism Studies
Critical Terrorism Studies is a controversial new sub-discipline of Terrorism studies. It attempts to encourage criticism of the discipline of Terrorism studies itself and to widen debate by Terrorism studies researchers in part by applying insights from Critical Theory generally and the Frankfurt...
.
He is advisor to the Terrorism Project on Violent Radicalisation led by the Danish Institute of International Studies, scientific advisor to the DHS Center of Excellence START programme led by the University of Maryland, and on the Advisory Board of CSTPV, University of St Andrews.
His field work around the world has included interviewing hundreds of terrorists and members of militant Islamic movements. His work on the behaviour of the Hizballah movement was recognized by Israeli media in March 2000 as among the contributing factors leading to the decision by the Israeli government to withdraw from southern Lebanon. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 on the United States (9/11), CNN named Ranstorp its principal terrorism expert.
Ranstorp has briefed senior government and security officials from around the world, and lectures regularly to universities, think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
s and intergovernmental organisations. In 2003 he was invited to testify before the first hearing of the 9/11 Commission
9/11 Commission
The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission, was set up on November 27, 2002, "to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 attacks", including preparedness for and the immediate response to...
.
He was a member of an Advisory Panel on Terrorism in Europe advising the EU counter-terrorism coordinator. In 2005 he was a contributor to the George C. Marshall Center directed project on "Ideological War on Terror: Synthesizing Strategies Worldwide" (funded by the Office of the US Secretary of Defense). In 2006 Ranstorp was invited to join the European Commission Expert Group on Violent Radicalisation, an official advisory body on all matters relating to violent radicalisation and recruitment of extremists within the EU.
He is an elected Fellow of The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences or Kungl. Krigsvetenskapsakademin, founded in 1739 by King Frederick I, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden. The Academy is an independent organization and a forum for military and defense issues. Membership is limited to 160 chairs under the age of...
.