Read an April 22, 2013 essay at Wired.com that examines extremism under the lens of psychology.

Andrew Brown of The Guardian has an April 25 column exploring why some violent organizations feed off religion and others are atheistic.

William Saletan in Slate on April 28, 2013 rounds up several stories that explore the possible explanations and motivations behind the radicalization of the suspects.

An April 23, 2013 Associated Press story says questioning of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev by authorities indicated “the two brothers were motivated by an anti-American, radical version of Islam.” A CNN story adds that the older brother was the driving force behind the attacks and that they had no contact with international terrorist groups but were affected by watching videos online.

Read an April 28, 2013 article by John Blake at CNN about extremism.

Read a May 6, 2013 Rolling Stone article that analyses media’s effect on radicalism. It quotes John Horgan, director of the International Center for the Study of Terrorism at Pennsylvania State University, as downplaying the idea that young men can “self-radicalize” by watch YouTube videos and reading Al Qaeda magazines.”

Brigitte Gabriel is founder and president of Act for America, which describes itself  as a “grassroots citizen action network dedicated to preserving national security and combating the threat of radical Islam.” The Southern Poverty Law Center lists it as a hate group for what it terms anti-Islamic sentiment. The organization, which is based in Pensacola, […]

Retired Lt. Gen. William G. “Jerry” Boykin held many posts during his Army career, including commander of the Green Berets and deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence. He is now an ordained minister and a conservative Christian political activist, serving as a leader of the North Carolina-based Kingdom Warriors Ministries. Boykin has generated controversy for […]

Paul Marshall is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom in Washington, D.C., and has written or edited many books about religion and politics. He served as editor and contributor for Radical Islam’s Rules: The Worldwide Spread of Extreme Sharia Law.