Álvaro Vicente is a Fellow at the Elcano Royal Institute, as well as in the Department of Public Law and Political Science at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. His research focuses on the processes of radicalization leading to political violence, with particular attention to jihadism. He also examines the opposite phenomenon, namely, disengagement and deradicalization processes. He is interested in the design, implementation and evaluation of policies and strategies for preventing violent extremism, especially initiatives developed at the prison level.
He has authored various reports and working papers commissioned by the expert group of the European Commission on the prevention of violent extremism (RAN Policy-Support). Additionally, he has participated in numerous seminars and private meetings with both political decision-makers and first-line practitioners specialized in the fight against violent radicalization. He has also worked as a researcher in publicly (EU Horizon 2020 program) and privately funded projects related to terrorism, prevention of radicalization, and organized crime.
The results of his research have been published in some of the leading scientific journals specializing in political violence, such as Terrorism and Political Violence, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression, and CTC Sentinel..
University of affiliation
Research Areas: the evolution of jihadist terrorism in Spain, minors’ radicalisation and de-radicalisation processes, the prevention of violent extremism in prison, and the crime-terror nexus.
Selected Publications: Yihadismo y yihadistas en España: quince años después del 11-M (co-authored with Fernando Reinares and Carola García-Calvo, Madrid: Real Instituto Elcano, 2019); “Evidencia cuantitativa sobre entornos y ámbitos de radicalización entre yihadistas en España”, (co-authored with Carola García-Calvo) pp. 43-55 in Rut Bermejo e Isabel Bazaga (eds.) Radicalización violenta en España. Detección, gestión y respuesta (Valencia: Tirant lo Blanch, 2019); Fórmulas utilizadas para la radicalización y el reclutamiento yihadista de menores en España (ARI 76/2018, Real Instituto Elcano, 2018) or “Differential Association Explaining Jihadi Radicalization in Spain: A Quantitative Study” (co-authored with Fernando Reinares and Carola García-Calvo), CTC Sentinel, 10: 6 (2017), pp. 29-36.
Other contact information: Álvaro Vicente on LinkedIn.
Events
- Colloquium about the monograph ‘Reaffirmation and abandonment of global Jihad. Personal trajectories of Jihadist prisoners in Spain’ by Álvaro Vicente (2025)
- 11th Elcano Forum on Global Terrorism “The current threat from Islamist terrorisms to the West” (2024)
- Roundtable ‘Jihadism and Terrorism in Spain, 20 Years After 11-M’ (2024)
- EUTEx. Breaking the Cycle: Advancing Disengagement and Reintegration of Terrorist and Extremist Offenders (2023)
- EUTEx Living Lab in Madrid (2022)
