Sussex Terrorism and Extremism Research Network (STERN)
Learn about STERN, including our projects, publications and partnerships.
Our aims
STERN aims to:
- promote research on the causes of terrorism and violent extremism and how to understand and counter these occurences
- develop links and partnerships with experts, nationally and internationally, including research institutions, Non Government Organisations (NGOs), intergovernmental organisations and policy makers
- generate research on policy, law and practice
- inform teaching and learning on counter terrorism and violent extremism at undergraduate and postgraduate levels
- encourage and support combined research funding on terrorism and violent extremism projects.
Directors
Projects
Read about the projects our members were involved with:
Dr John Jupp
Dr John Jupp was a Co-lead Investigator in 2021-22 on a UNODC project concerned with developing a Manual on the Prevention of, and Responses to, Terrorist Attacks on the Basis of Xenophobia, Racism and other forms of Intolerance, or in the Name of Religion or Belief.
He is the co-author of the Manual, published in 2022, which examines the evolution of this type of terrorist threat in six Member States and which is aimed at raising awareness of these threats and the impact of existing legal, operational and administrative countermeasures.
For a copy of the Manual see Manual on Prevention of and Responses to Terrorist Attacks on the Basis of Xenophobia, Racism and Other Forms of Intolerance, or in the Name of Religion or Belief (unodc.org).
Other projects include ESRC GCRF IAA "Strengthening Legal Protections and Support for Victims of Terrorism During Criminal Proceedings in Afghanistan".
Dr Suraj Lakhani
- Home Office – “Understanding How Terrorist/Extremist Groups Share Content, and where it Appears On-Line”
- British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant – “‘Prevent Duty’: Understanding the Effects of Counter-Terrorism Policy within Secondary and Further Education Institutions.
- Home Office / VoxPol: “Disrupting Daesh: Measuring Takedown of Online Terrorist Material and its Impacts”
- ESRC IAA: “Safeguarding by Consent: An integrated approach to addressing vulnerability in the context of safeguarding activity”.
Dr Matthew Garrod
Dr Garrod has acted as an independent expert legal advisor on counter terrorism at the United Nations, a role which includes:
- providing legal advice to the United Nations on the international legal framework for the countering of terrorism and review of national counter terrorism legislation
- and providing recommendations and assistance to governments on legislative reform and drafting and good practice guidance on issues relating to substantive crimes
- extraterritorial jurisdiction; terrorist financing
- terrorist incitement
- human rights and countering terrorism; and international cooperation, such as mutual legal assistance and extradition.
Dr Garrod also contributes to high-level international conferences on counter terrorism.
Dr John Jupp and Dr Matthew Garrod
- Both appointed as counter-terrorism experts for the Education for Justice (E4J) project, UN Office on Drugs and Crime, in January 2017.
- Co-Lead Investigators on a UNODC project entitled 'Strengthening Research and Evaluation Capacity on Linkages Between Organized Crime and Terrorism WithinTertiary Institutions Globally.’ This project is part of the UNODC's Education for Justice (E4J) initiative which is designed to support the integration of crime and other rule of law aspects into all levels of education. At the university level, it aims to facilitate and promote teaching and research on issues related to UNODC mandate areas, including anti-corruption, organized crime, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, terrorism prevention, cybercrime, criminal justice and arms trafficking, as well as on integrity and ethics.
Publications and outputs
Read about our publications and outputs:
- From Spiral to Stasis? United Kingdom Counter-Terrorism Legislation and Extreme Right-Wing Terrorism
Author: Dr John Jupp
Date: 14 September 2022
Abstract
This article critically evaluates the impact of existing terrorism offences in countering extreme right-wing terrorism (ERWT) in the United Kingdom (UK) in order to examine why this developing threat to security has yet to elicit any legislative counter measures. Informed by evidence from a comprehensive dataset of ERWT convictions between 2007 and 2022 it finds that terrorist offences have bee sufficiently adaptive as to have had a significant impact in countering ERWT, negating any need for reform. Concerns, however, are identified in the application of existing measures and suggestions are made as to how they should be addressed to enhance their impact.
- The Emergence of “Universal Jurisdiction” in Response to Somali Piracy: An Empirically Informed Critique of International Law’s “Paradigmatic” Universal Jurisdiction Crime
Author: Dr Matthew Garrod
Date: 14 November 2019
Abstract
Since the 1980s, the idea that piracy is the “original” and “paradigmatic” universal jurisdiction crime in customary international law has been increasingly supported by weighty scholarship. In the wake of the unprecedented surge in Somali piracy, this view is gaining ground among various powerful actors in international law. Yet, remarkably little empirically grounded scholarship exists in support of universal jurisdiction.
This Article provides the first comprehensive empirical analysis of state practice in response to Somali piracy in a ten-year period since 2006. Additionally, the data on Somali piracy are compared with the empirical findings of state practice regarding international crimes, which are more “heinous” than piracy, since the end of World War II to 2016. In so doing, this Article brings new insight and the first thorough critique of what most scholars, governments, the UN and even the International Court of Justice have said on universal jurisdiction, its purpose and the basis for it in international law.
In view of inter-state tensions and conflict caused by universal jurisdiction and a move towards law codification, there is now a pressing need for a paradigm shift in the concept of universal jurisdiction for both piracy and international crimes, a step away from conventional scholarly accounts, and the grand narratives from which they proceed, to a position that has a solid basis in the actual practice of states.
Empirically and historically informed, it is proposed that “universal jurisdiction” for both categories of crime provides a basis in international law permitting the exercise of national criminal jurisdiction over offences involving foreign nationals abroad that have a close nexus between the case over which jurisdiction is asserted and the state asserting jurisdiction. Common and traditionally held assumptions that universal jurisdiction is based solely on the grave nature of crimes and is applied by states absent any nexus to offences and in the interest of the international community are unfounded.
- Legacies of the Troubles: Links Between Organsied Crime and Terrorism in Northern Ireland
Authors: Dr John Jupp and Dr Matthew Garrod
Date: 4 November 2019
Abstract
One of the most important legacies of the “Troubles” in Northern Ireland and the ensuing 20 years post-peace-process era, heralded by the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, is the rise of complex and diverse Republican and Loyalist paramilitary groups engaging in acts of terrorism and a wide range of organized criminal and cross-border activities.
Yet, little scholarship has been dedicated for examining the nexus between terrorism and organized crime in Northern Ireland or for accurately understanding the role that paramilitaries play in organized crime and their dynamic interactions with organized criminal groups. Informed by empirical evidence and qualitative interviews with government agencies in Northern Ireland, it is this important gap in scholarship that this article aims to fill. It does so by developing a new terrorism-organized crime model which reveals a range of different types of crime-terror interactions in Northern Ireland.
The article concludes that national terrorism-organized crime models, and the Northern Ireland model in particular, albeit with variations to its constituent components to accommodate local situations, are most appropriate for capturing intricate and dynamic interactions between these two phenomena across diverse environments rather than existing models designed for universal application.
Partnerships with European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS)
Located in Amsterdam, EFSAS is an EU accredited leading independent, non-profit think tank and policy research institution. EFSAS strives to elucidate events in South Asia and formulate strategies that shape public discourse concerning the region in order to promote peace, security, and sustainable development.
EFSAS provides strategic in-depth analysis, research, statistical data, policy advice and forecasts related to developments in the fields of politics, international relations, conflict management, human rights, security, diplomacy, strategic affairs and conflict resolution in South Asia.
Their core specialization is in the fields of Terrorism, Indo-Pak relations and the Jammu & Kashmir conflict and their greatest strength lies in the application of comparative regional analysis and research. EFSAS keeps furnishing high-quality policy analysis and recommendations regarding South Asia to decision-making institutions, opinion-makers, civil society and academics.