Experts come together to define ‘extremism’

ISD has joined forces with the Polarization and Extremism Research Innovation Lab (PERIL) at the American University in Washington to undertake the complex task of defining ‘extremism’, USA Today has reported on the group’s challenge ahead.

“I like to think of us as a sort of Avengers, coming together to try and solve these existential issues we face,” said ISD’s Milo Comerford.

A definition of extremism will help a wide range of actors – from law-enforcement and policy makers, to academics and journalists – better understand the threat of the ever-changing extremist landscape.

The fringe-vs-mainstream lens of understanding extremism is “problematic”, ISD’s CEO Sasha Havlicek told USA Today. “[Extremism] defines an in-group that it seeks to protect, and it sees that in-group as dominant and better.”

ISD and PERIL continue to work together to define extremism.

Milo Comerford is Head of Policy & Research, Counter Extremism at ISD.

Sasha Havlicek is the CEO and Founder of ISD.