Author Archives

I am a researcher and writer interested in security issues. I work with The Institute for Strategic Dialogue and the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI). I also run a small charity called Hostage UK which provides practical and pastoral support for hostages and their families, during and after a kidnap.

• we need a more nuanced approach for dealing with british jihadists who want to come home

  By rachelbriggs on October 27, 2014 • ( 1 )

  There are growing reports that British jihadis fighting in Syria want to come home; it has been claimed that dozens are trapped in Syria unable to leave, and up to 100 are stranded in Turkey having made it out of… Read More ›

• aid workers and journalists at the frontline of conflict

  By rachelbriggs on August 25, 2014 • ( 0 )

  Events over the past week have offered a sobering reminder of the risks to journalists around the world. They started with the murder of James Foley in Syria, the video of which closed with a threat to the life of… Read More ›

• trauma of children in Gaza

  By rachelbriggs on August 12, 2014 • ( 1 )

  It doesn’t matter what side of the political divide you are on, how you judge history, or whether you are for a two-state solution or not. The effects of conflict on the children of Gaza are heart breaking. In an excellent… Read More ›

• foreign fighters in Syria: the rise of women and the challenge of prevention

  By rachelbriggs on July 15, 2014 • ( 3 )

  A report on the Today Programme this morning spoke to young women in Luton thinking about travelling to Syria. So, are there more women travelling? What will they do when they get there? And is there anything that can be… Read More ›

• gangster’s (jihadi) paradise

  By rachelbriggs on July 8, 2014 • ( 0 )

  Abderrozak Benarabe is also known as Big A. He’s a gangster from Denmark who turned his back on a life of crime after his brother’s cancer diagnosis, turning to Islam and then, eventually, jihad in Syria. European Jihadi follows Big… Read More ›

• happy birthday FARC

  By rachelbriggs on May 25, 2014 • ( 0 )

  On Tuesday, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) turns 50. Formed by Pedro Antonio Marin Marin aka Marulanda on 27 May 1964, they have been embroiled in one of South America’s deadliest battles for control of the land, the… Read More ›

• foreign fighters: how to win the war of ideas

  By rachelbriggs on May 10, 2014 • ( 0 )

  Here is an article I have with Ross Frenett on HuffPo arguing for the need to invest resources in films, campaigns and digital activities to push back on the messages that violent extremists use to attract young people to travel… Read More ›

• can radical compassion win the war against violent extremism?

  By rachelbriggs on March 9, 2014 • ( 0 )

  I’m pleased to be chairing an event in London organised by the Forgiveness Project on 28 April where the focus will be on how former extremists can use their own experiences to help tackle violent extremism. Sharing their own personal… Read More ›

• 5 messages for ed miliband on foreign policy

  By rachelbriggs on February 7, 2014 • ( 0 )

  Here’s a piece I’ve got on HuffPo this morning, setting out 5 messages for Ed Miliband on foreign policy. It draws on a chapter I wrote for a new Fabian Society collection, One Nation in the World, that was launched… Read More ›

• Prime Minister’s Taskforce’s Recommendations on Tackling Extremism Online Won’t be Effective

  By rachelbriggs on December 11, 2013 • ( 0 )

  I have a new HuffPo piece on why the recommendations about online extremism are ineffective. Check it out here.