Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism
Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism (INSCT) is a research institute sponsored by the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and Syracuse University College of Law. INSCT was established in 2003 by Prof. William C. Banks with the goal of support an interdisciplinary approach to questions of national security and counter-terrorism law and policy. INSCT consists of several full-time fellows and graduate research assistants and dozens of affiliated faculty members at Syracuse University. The Institute publishes analytical policy papers, journal articles, and books; it develops courses and other academic opportunities for  graduate certificate of advanced study and curricular programs in national security and counter-terrorism law; and it convenes conferences and seminars at Syracuse University and at its collaborating institutions. In May 2013, INSCT announced that it had graduated 470 students from its academic programs since 2003. INSCT alumni work across the security industry, in organizations such as the Brookings Institution; Combined/Joint Task Force-Afghanistan; DARPA; Deloitte; US Marine Corps; US Military Commissions Prosecutions Unit; US Naval Air Systems Command; the US departments of Defense, State, Justice, and Homeland Security; and elsewhere. In October 2013, INSCT announced it will begin  offering Counterterrorism in the 21st Century, an interdisciplinary executive education course, in collaboration with the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism at Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya in Israel. People. The Hon. James E. Baker is the current Director of the INSCT. He was the former Chief Judge to the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. He also serves as a Professor of Law at the Syracuse University College of Law, and a Professor of Public Administration at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Founding Director William C. Banks is the Syracuse University College of Law Board of  Advisors Distinguished Professor of Law and Professor of Public Administration at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Banks co-wrote "National Security Law", first published in 1990. In addition, Banks and his co-authors published "Counterterrorism Law" in 2007 in an effort to define the emerging field of counter-terrorism law. Robert B. Murrett is the current Deputy Director of INSCT and served as the director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency from 2006 to 2010 before coming to Syracuse University. Keli Perrin, Assistant Director, is an alumna of the joint-degree program at Syracuse University College of  Law and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Her areas of interest include homeland security, cybersecurity, and emergency management. David Crane, faculty member, served as founding chief prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, an international war crimes tribunal. He was appointed to that position by the Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, in 2002. He was briefly cast in an NBC reality TV series called "The Wanted" and is featured in the documentary "War Don Don." Isaac Kfir is a visiting professor from the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya. He  lectures on topics relating to conflict resolution and international security, and also provides commentary with a regional focus on South Asia and the Greater Middle East Nicholas Armstrong, senior research fellow, manages the Postconflict Research Database and Analysis Project. The database aggregates postconflict literature to improve access to and management of postconflict scholarship. He is an Army veteran and a fellow with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families. Corri Zoli, director of research and research assistant professor, focuses on issues relating to Islam and humanitarian law, the rule of law, and cybersecurity. Numerous affiliated faculty and staff from Syracuse  University College of Law and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs contribute to research projects and academic coursework at INSCT. Mission. The mission of the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism is to perform interdisciplinary research, teaching, public service, and policy analysis in the fields of national and international security and counter-terrorism. It emphasizes collaborating with national and international practice-based institutes in order to advance common research and project goals. It does this by conducting research, policy analysis, and other projects in consultation with government agencies, municipalities, universities, and other public entities that facilitate public service. The  Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism offers students from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and Syracuse University College of Law innovative educational opportunities through certificates of advanced study, curricular programs, and other law and graduate initiatives. Publications. The "Journal of National Security Law and Policy" is a semi-annual, peer-reviewed journal that INSCT originally co-published with the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, before beginning an editorial collaboration with Georgetown Law in 2011.