Prof Brandon Kinne and recent PhD Nahrain Bet Younadem publish research on verbal attacks and extremist violence in PNAS Nexus

Professor Brandon Kinne and recent PhD Dr. Nahrain Bet Younadem, along with coauthor Iliyan Iliev, recently published an article in the journal PNAS Nexus examining whether verbal attacks by governments on violent extremist groups deter or exacerbate violence. They find that while verbal attacks seem intended to deter extremists, they are actually often followed by increases in violent attacks. They argue that this pattern is driven by a credibility deficit, as extremists use violence to signal that they have the capabilities and willingness to inflict harm. They test their theory using data on ISIS from 2014 to 2020, and find similar results in extensions to Boko Haram and al-Qaeda in Iraq. https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/advance-article/doi/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae437/7804279?searchresult=1