United Nations cites terrorism research by Campbell homeland security director

The United Nations is using academic and scholarly research conducted by a Campbell University professor.
The Counterterrorism Committee of the United Nations, which works to bolster the ability of U.N. member states to prevent terrorist acts both within their borders and across regions, has posted an article by David H. Gray, director of Campbell’s homeland security program. “Radicalization of Youth as a Growing Concern for Counter-Terrorism Policy” was also hosted on the site of the International Security & Counter Terrorism Reference Center, a premier professional, academic and scholarly research database and website.
Gray’s article details the dynamics of the radicalization of youth, similar to the current, major global problem of the recruitment of young people from multiple countries who are traveling to such places as Iraq and Syria to join groups like ISIS.
According to Gray, the radicalization of youth is now one of the most important threats of international terrorism in the world today. Socially isolated, disenfranchised, marginalized and disenchanted, these young men and women turn to extremism in their search for identity, acceptance and purpose, Gray says. His paper addresses the major counterterrorism policy and operational implications for the U.S., Canada and Western Europe resulting from this radicalization process.
“Clearly, this problem is a major counterterrorism challenge for the United States and our Western Allies,” Gray said. “Much effort is currently being expended to track and counter this growing trend.”
Sally Jacobs, a reporter for the Boston Globe, interviewed Gray about this process as part of her research on the radicalization of individuals in the Boston area, particularly after the Boston Marathon bombing.
Campbell’s homeland security program, part of the criminal justice department in the College of Arts & Sciences, includes a concentration in terrorism with specific two courses — Terrorism: Foundations and Concepts; and International Terrorism: Regional Studies.