Max Abrahms
Associate Professor of Political Science
Max Abrahms is an expert in international security, especially in the areas of terrorism, U.S. foreign policy, great power competition, war, and the international relations of the Middle East. He has held fellowships and other research positions with the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University, the Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College, the Department of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University, the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at George Washington University, the Moshe Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University, the Human Security Centre in London, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Institute for Peace and Diplomacy, Center for the Study of Terrorism in Rome, the Belfer Center at Harvard University, and the Council on Foreign Relations. Abrahms frequently fields interviews about international security issues for expert analysis in the media (e.g., Atlantic, BBC, CNN, Newsweek, New York Times, USA Today, Voice of America, Washington Post) and consults with government agencies about the contemporary extremism landscape. At Northeastern, he teaches courses about national security, international relations, and counterterrorism.
- Rules for Rebels: The Science of Victory in Militant History
- Abrahms, M. Rules for Rebels: The Science of Victory in Militant History. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press (2018).
- Abrahms, M. and Conrad, J. “The Strategic Logic of Credit Claiming: A New Theory for Anonymous Attacks.” Security Studies 26, no. 2 (2017): 279-304.
- Abrahms, M. and Mierau, J. “Leadership Matters: The Effects of Targeted Killings on Militant Group Tactics.” Terrorism and Political Violence 29, no. 5 (2017): 830-851.
- Abrahms, M., Beauchamp, N., and Mroszczyk, J. “What Terrorist Leaders Want: A Content Analysis of Terrorist Propaganda Videos.” Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 40, no. 11 (2017): 899-916.
- Abrahms, M., Sullivan, D., and Simpson, C. “Five Myths about Syrian Refugees.” Foreign Affairs (March 2017): Online.
- Abrahms, M. and Potter, B.K. “Explaining Terrorism: Leadership Deficits and Militant Group Tactics,” International Organization 69, no. 2 (2015): 311-342.
- Abrahms, M. “The Credibility Paradox: Violence as a Double-Edged Sword in International Politics.” International Studies Quarterly 57, no. 4 (2013): 660-671.
- Abrahms, M. “What Terrorists Really Want: Terrorist Motives and Counterterrorism Strategy.” International Security 32, no. 4 (2008): 78-105.
- Abrahms, M. “Why Terrorism Does Not Work.” International Security 31, no. 2 (2006): 42-78.
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Education
PhD, 2010, Political Science, University of California-Los Angeles
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Contact
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Address
215F RP
360 Huntington Avenue,
Boston, MA 02115
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International Relations
POLS 1160
Introduces a broad study of international relations, encompassing both theoretical perspectives and empirical knowledge. Reviews the role of states as well as international and nongovernmental organizations in dealing with security and war, terrorism, human rights, trade, globalization, and environmental protection, among other important contemporary issues.