The Credibility Paradox: Violence as a Double-Edged Sword in International Politics?

The media can be accessed here: http://streaming.osu.edu/knowledgebank/mershon11/051611.mp4Max Abrahms research focuses on the consequences of terrorism, its motives, and the implications for counterterrorism strategy.Ohio State University. Mershon Center for International Security Studie

Ecosystem Sentinels as Early-Warning Indicators in the Anthropocene

We are already experiencing the rapid pace of environmental perturbation in the Anthropocene, necessitating the development of new tools and techniques for measuring changes in ecosystem dynamics. Sentinel species, from birds to invertebrates, have been used to provide insights into ecosystem function, as leading indicators of risk to human health and as harbingers of future change, with implications for ecosystem structure and function. Here, we offer an update to previous research identifying marine top predators as indicators of ecosystem shifts and examine terrestrial sentinels and the latest research on sentinels of pollution and human health. Using ecosystem sentinels enables rapid response and adaptation to ecosystem variability and environmental change in part because they may be easier to observe and in part because they may serve as leading indicators of ecosystem disruption. While there may not be a given taxon that is best suited as sentinels, we highlight how to select the most effective sentinels, including examples of when sentinel species have been incorporated into management. Choosing a suite of appropriate sentinels both will give insight into ecosystem processes and can help manage changing ecosystems into the future

Rules for Rebels

Imagine you’re the leader of a militant group. Your enemy is a government far stronger than your crew. How can you beat the odds and achieve your political goals? For over a decade, the author has studied hundreds of militant groups throughout world history to discern why some succeed while others are doomed to fail. This book offers welcome news for the rebel. It turns out that the leaders of militant groups possess a surprising amount of agency over their political destiny. Triumph is possible. But only for those who know what to do. This is the first book to identify a cohesive set of actions that can enable militant leaders to win. Discover the secrets of their success. Successful militants follow three simple rules that are based on original insights from numerous disciplines (communication, criminology, economics, history, management, marketing, political science, psychology, sociology) and methodological approaches (qualitative cases studies, content analysis, network analysis, regression analysis, experiments). There’s a science to victory in world history. But even rebels must follow rules.</p

Terrorism works in theory, but not in practice

In the study of terrorism, there is a widespread belief that I call the “Strategic Model”. It posits that groups adopt terrorism because it offers the best chance of having their grievances redressed. More specifically, the Strategic Model maintains that attacking civilians with acts of terrorism is a successful way for groups to pressure governments into meeting their political demands. Despite the prevalence of this rationalist perspective, it actually rests on very weak empirical foundations. In the face of terrorism, target countries seldom make strategic concessions to the perpetrators of the attacks. On the contrary, they generally dig in their political heels and go on the offensive. This article looks at why so many scholars assume that terrorism pays despite its political futility