Global Terrorism Research Centre
The Global Terrorism Research Centre is based in the School of Political and Social Inquiry of the Faculty of Arts and drawn primarily from the School's constituent disciplines including Politics, Criminology, Anthropology, Sociology and Communications and Media Studies. Staff from the Arts Faculty's School of Languages , Cultures and Literatures, and School of Music-Conservatorium , and the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Business and Economics, and the Monash Asia Institute have also contributed to, and often continue to participate in the centre's research activities. The centre's members include researchers who are proficient in the languages and cultures of Russia , Central Asia, Iran , Indonesia , Malaysia , Singapore , the Philippines , India and China .
The Centre is coordinated by Dr Pete Lentini, a specialist on terrorism and politics in the former Soviet Union, and comparative and identity politics; Associate Professor David Wright-Neville, former Senior Counter-terrorism Analyst for the Office of National Assessments, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, and a specialist in South Asian and Southeast Asian Politics; and Dr Andrew Newman, the Centre's Project Officer whose main research interests include WMD terrorism, US foreign policy and arms control and strategic studies. Professor Gary D. Bouma, the UNESCO Chair in Intercultural and Interreligious Studies, also plays a critical role in the centre's research direction and liaison with community organisations.
- The Centre's mission is to generate interdisciplinary, culturally informed research into terrorism, counter-terrorism and related forms of identity-based conflict and cooperation. This includes:
- Using collective expertise and research to enhance international scholarship and Australia 's reputation in the study of terrorism, political violence, cultural conflict and cooperation;
- Contributing to a vibrant network of researchers investigating political violence and mechanisms for conflict resolution;
- Providing information services for the private, public and philanthropic sectors and broader publics in Australia and abroad;
- Offering students a culturally informed curriculum in the study of terrorism and related forms of political violence.