“... According to Gregory Waters from the Counter Extremism Project, the Syrian desert has been instrumental for ISIS as it operates like training grounds, churning out the next generations of fighters often lured from vulnerable socio-economic backgrounds. Therefore, the geographical intricacies of Syria and neighboring regions become conducive to intensified recruitment and mobilization activities for ISIS. This high-stakes game of power is not limited to affairs rooted within Afghanistan; neighboring regions such as Pakistan are also under scrutiny. The rugged terrain of Afghanistan presents it as a calculated choice for guerrilla warfare tactics favored by Islamic militants.” 

""The internal UN inquiry was wholly inadequate and its conclusions complacent. A great deal more evidence has emerged since then," said Edmund Fitton-Brown, the UK’s former ambassador to Yemen, who is now a counter-terrorism expert with the New America think-tank in New York.

“The UN simply claims that UNRWA is irreplaceable, without making any attempt to address concerns about it and introduce reforms,” he added."

"IS had maintained training camps in the Syrian desert for many years, according to Gregory Waters, a research analyst at the Counter Extremism Project who closely follows IS activities in central Syria.

"These are the places where it trains the next generation of fighters — often children it recruits from northeast Syria — and where adult fighters can return to in between their operations," Waters told VOA. "While the central Syrian desert is under Russian and Syrian regime control, ISIS does not abide by these arbitrary lines.""

"Robinson presents a problem for the prison service. “The decisions around how and where Robinson will be held are fraught with difficulty for prison bosses,” said Ian Acheson, a counter-extremism adviser and former prison governor...Acheson warned that attempts were being made to propagandise his imprisonment, and misinformation about his treatment was already spreading on social media. The Tommy Robinson propaganda machine seems unlikely to go away."

"According to experts from the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), France has opted for a strategic partnership with Qatar. Only a fraction of this alliance is transparent – ​​in early 2024, the emirate has committed to investing 10 billion euros in the French economy."

""Israel has shown Iran that it can, if it wants, carry out attacks on targets throughout Iran. It has used its fighter jets for this purpose, all of which have returned unscathed," explains terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler from the transatlantic think tank Counter Extremism Project (CEP) in an interview with DW.”"

"“The slim man with short hair looks at the judge with a stern expression. For weeks, Moaaz A. has had to answer to the Higher Regional Court in Munich - 26 years old, born in Syria. […] Hans-Jakob Schindler from the international non-profit organization "Counter Extremism Project", which, among other things, evaluates court proceedings and monitors the social media activities of extremists worldwide, emphasizes that the USA has much greater capacity to investigate terrorism and many more legal options: "All of this, of course, allows the Americans to repeatedly give Germany information that is of key importance. And attacks have been prevented time and again over the last two decades."

“... Aleksandar Ritzman, a researcher at the international organization Counter-Extremism Project and an advisor to the Radicalization Awareness Network at the European Commission, said that "he has never seen any network in right-wing extremism spread so quickly." He says AC is a "sophisticated operation" and warned that if the movement is "allowed to continue to operate and multiply, the likelihood of targeted political violence will increase." He said that its goal is to "create a kind of paramilitary that hides behind the image of a sports club, while actually preparing for organized violence." "When the violence starts, members and groups will not subsequently publish a manifesto," he said. "This is different from the other kind of extreme right-wing terrorism, where manifestos with all sorts of explanations and theories are published after an attack."” 

“... According to experts from the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), France has opted for a strategic partnership with Qatar. Only a fraction of this alliance is transparent - in early 2024, the emirate has committed to investing 10 billion euros in the French economy. The hidden part is much larger and is growing silently as Qatar's significant investments in the French sports and luxury sectors gradually increase. The Qatari government owns luxury hotels in Paris, Cannes and Nice, a stake in Bernard Arnault's famous French brand, LVMH. The Qataris own the Printemps department store and a majority stake in Paris Saint-Germain. In 2022, France became the second European destination for Qatari investments after the United Kingdom, with assets of more than 25 billion euros, and we are only talking about direct purchases by Qatari entities.” 

CEP Non-Resident Fellow Ari Heistein writes: "It has been widely acknowledged that the Houthi attacks against Israel and international shipping that followed Hamas’s deadly October 7th attacks last year, were used to defuse a domestic crisis. Shortly before that terrible day, the Houthis were facing unprecedented opposition at home due to growing resentment over their misrule. That changed in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks, and Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. Since the Houthis started bombarding Israel and international shipping one year ago, the group has promoted massive public rallies in Yemen to celebrate its “resistance” throughout the territory under their control. It has been generally assumed that the Houthi offensive had redirected public anger, but recent public opinion polls tell a different story."