Security and threat
Understanding terrorism, cybersecurity and crime
Polarisation in our society is on the rise. What makes people increasingly radical? How do we protect ourselves from extremist, terrorist or criminal threats, be they physical or in the cyber world? And what role do intelligence services play in this?
News
Understanding terrorism, cybersecurity and crime
Leiden researchers study security in our society from various perspectives. We try to understand why people radicalise with regard to both left- or right-wing extremism and religious fundamentalism. When does radical ideology turn into political violence or terrorism? And how is organised crime a threat to society? To find answers, we look not only at the Netherlands but beyond our national borders as well.
This leads to the question of how we protect our society from such threats, with measures or security, for example. And how can a country or government deal with a crisis or threat to public security? We also research the flipside of this. What are the effects of the police or security services being given far-reaching investigative powers? Do we gradually turn into a police state? Striking a balance between the security of our society as a whole and protecting our fundamental rights, the right to demonstrate or to privacy, for instance, is an important theme for our researchers.
An increasing part of our life is played out on the internet and more and more processes are becoming digital. This makes cybersecurity an increasingly important aspect of keeping ourselves, our businesses and our digital infrastructure secure: ransomware attacks, for example, but also espionage or even interference by foreign powers. Our researchers study today’s digital threats but also the legal framework needed to increase cybersecurity while ensuring our fundamental rights are not limited.
Research projects and programmes
PhD defences, inaugural lectures and events
Highlights
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Interview Frans Osinga: 'A direct confrontation of the Netherlands with Russia is possible' -
Research: Online database with firearms incidents in the EU -
Book: Debunking myths about the secret services -
The tangled web of cyber espionage: inaugural lecture by Dennis Broeders -
MOOC on Terrorism and Counterterrorism
Experts
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Tahir Abbas Topics: conflict, ethnicity, islamophobia, policy analysis, radicalisation, security, security and threat, terrorism -
Dennis Broeders Topics: cybersecurity, cybersecurity governance, emerging technologies, global security, security and threat -
Frans Osinga Topics: defence, diplomacy, security, security and threat, war -
Pieter Tops Topics: security and threat -
Vanessa Newby Topics: gender, humanitarian assistance & disaster response, informal institutions, international security, middle east, non-traditional security, peacebuilding, peacekeeping, security and threat -
Tommy van Steen Topics: (in)security, behavioural change, cybersecurity, psychology, security and threat -
Bert Koenders Topics: development, diplomacy, european union, international politics, political legitimacy, security and threat -
Simon Willmetts Topics: cultural history, cybersecurity, intelligence, political legitimacy, security and threat, surveillance -
Bas Rietjens Topics: security and threat -
Jelle van Buuren Topics: conspiracy thinking, intelligence, police, security, security and threat -
Willemijn Aerdts Topics: diplomacy, intelligence, international security, law, oversight, security and threat -
Marieke Liem Topics: criminology, homicide, international comparative research, physical violence, security, security and threat, violence -
Sanneke Kuipers Topics: crisis management, institutionalism, public accountability, public organisations, security and threat -
Edwin Bakker Topics: counterterrorism, public policy, radicalisation, security, security and threat, terrorism -
Bart Schermer Topics: copyright law, cybercrime, internet freedom, internet law, isp liability, privacy, security and threat -
Maartje van der Woude Topics: (counter)terrorism, criminal law, crimmigration, empirical legal research, immigration and border control, law and society, public order and safety, security and threat, sociology of law -
Bart Custers Topics: artificial intelligence, big data, cyber crime, data mining, digital investigation, privacy, profiling, security and threat, social media, technology -
Bart Schuurman Topics: extremism, radicalisation, security and threat, terrorism, war
Leiden's City Criminologist
Do you feel safe when moving around the city of Leiden, or are there situations that make you feel unsafe? City criminologist Marianne Franken will study this together with the municipality of Leiden and the local police department Leiden Bollenstreek. And every Leiden inhabitant can participate.