Research Brief
By Matt Dryden, Research Fellow
March 2021
Introduction:
“Extremist ideology is experiencing an identity crisis. Movement across increasingly porous ideological borders presents grave challenges for the authorities, both with regards to the accurate and timely identification of divergent and disparate ideological influences, and the associated cross-pollination of tactics and methods used to perpetrate terrorist violence. The rise of ‘Mixed’ ideologies is in part a product of the internet and social media’s ability to unite an ideologically disparate milieu who coalesce around hate and violence, and deliver an incalculable supply of ideologically diverse propaganda and mind-set material directly to the fingertips of the most vulnerable and disenfranchised in our societies. The face of the terror threat is evolving, and so too must our response.”
About the Author:
Matt Dryden, Research Fellow
Matt is an experienced practitioner in preventing and countering violent extremism, having worked at strategic and operational levels on U.K. government PREVENT and CHANNEL programmes, and at the pan-European level on radicalisation prevention.
Matt holds a BSc in Criminology, PGCert in Investigating Vulnerability Crime, MSc in Counter-Terrorism, and is currently completing a PhD in Terrorism Studies. Matt has published research and policy papers in leading peer-reviewed academic journals on issues pertaining to radicalisation and terrorism.
Matt’s research focuses on radicalisation processes and the psychological and behavioural aspects of terrorist offending.