Dr Andrea Ruggeri writes on Emotions, Ideology and ISIS Mobilisation

Andrea Ruggeri has co-authored two articles for the Washington Post's 'Monkey Cage' blog on the emotional context behind the growing support for Islamic State.

In the first article, entitled 'How two under-appreciated factors mobilize violence like the Paris attacks' (9 December), he writes "To explain the origins of armed mobilization, civil wars and terrorism, it is common to focus on material factors — the financial rewards or power that insurgents or terrorists would gain.  But our research suggests that two other factors matter as well: the emotions that inspire people to join armed movements and the ideologies that underlie their efforts."

In the second, entitled 'Here’s a paradox: Shutting down the Islamic State on Twitter might help it recruit' (10 December), he writes "If our analysis is correct, authorities need to think hard about, on the one hand, preventing the Islamic State from proselytizing — and, on the other, preventing individuals from becoming radicalized because of that sense of isolation or “loneliness effect.”"