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Max Abrahms in the Press

Max Abrahms for Northeastern Global News

Could the Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine wars escalate into World War III?
Smoke billowing from an apartment building in Ukraine that had been hit by a Russian missile.

Could the Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine wars escalate into World War III?

With tensions now flaring in the Middle East and in Europe, can the two crises snowball into one global war or are they contained?
Here’s why the drone strike that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani could lead to more violence, not less

Here’s why the drone strike that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani could lead to more violence, not less

Taking out the leader of a militant group—such as Soleimani, who commanded Iran’s powerful Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps—often results in the group “paradoxically becoming even more violent, because lower-level members with even less restraint become empowered,” says Northeastern associate professor Max Abrahms.
When corporations respond to terror attacks with acts of kindness—and when they don’t
Special Police, Army, and other units move toward the scene in Paris suburb Saint-Denis on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015. Heavily armed police surrounded a suburban Paris apartment in a raid targeting the suspected mastermind of the Paris attacks. Credit: KAMIL ZIHNIOGLOU/Sipa via AP Images

When corporations respond to terror attacks with acts of kindness—and when they don’t

When targeted by terrorism, businesses tend to respond with charitable support. But the story changes when companies themselves are at risk.
So the US has pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal. What does that mean to me?

So the US has pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal. What does that mean to me?

President Trump has withdrawn the United States from the landmark international nuclear deal with Iran, announcing that stringent economic sanctions against Tehran will be reinstated. “How we’re better off in terms of U.S. national security, I’m not entirely clear,” said political science professor and terrorism theorist Max Abrahms.
The global implications of Trump’s Syria strike

The global implications of Trump’s Syria strike

Was the Trump administration’s military strike in Syria a symbolic show of force or something more? According to assistant professor Max Abrahms, a terrorism theorist at Northeastern, it seems that the U.S. retaliatory strikes “were intended only to be a warning about the costs of using chemical weapons.”
The terror in Nice and security across the EU
Photo from BBC News (World) Twitter (@BBCWorld)

The terror in Nice and security across the EU

France is reeling from its third major attack in 19 months after a lone terrorist sped a truck into a crowd of people gathered to watch Bastille Day fireworks. The attack killed at least 84 people and injured more than 200 others. We asked Northeastern experts to analyze these types of “lone wolf” terrorist attacks, the media’s use of graphic footage from the scene, and what the terror in Nice could mean for the European Union’s security procedures.
Faculty experts examine a range of issues in Brussels attacks

Faculty experts examine a range of issues in Brussels attacks

The horrific bombings in Brussels on Tuesday have left another European city reeling after a terrorist attack. In the aftermath, we asked an interdisciplinary group of faculty members to offer insight into the events.
3Qs: The Islamic State threat and its political impact

3Qs: The Islamic State threat and its political impact

Terrorism theorist Max Abrahms explains how the Islamic State group’s reach beyond its centralized area should not come as a surprise, and neither should its impact on politics here in the U.S.
Northeastern experts analyze recent terror attacks abroad

Northeastern experts analyze recent terror attacks abroad

An interdisciplinary group of five Northeastern faculty experts reacted to and examined last week’s terror attacks in Beirut and Paris at a panel discussion Tuesday night.
3Qs: The Charleston massacre and domestic terrorism in America
Emanuel AME Church

3Qs: The Charleston massacre and domestic terrorism in America

Max Abrahms says the Charleston massacre is an act of terrorism. Here, the terrorism theorist and Northeastern assistant professor of political science, explains why, and discusses the distinction between hate crimes and terrorism.