Mark Berlin

To what extent does conflict research engage with non-English-language sources? Pleased to share this solo-authored article where I explore this question. To do so, I examined 857 articles published about jihadist actors in 14 conflict and terrorism journals www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Excited to share some personal news. I’ve started as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Justice, Law, Criminology & Security at American University. I’m incredibly thankful for all of the support I received from so many along the way

This is a great resource organized by @landgravephd.bsky.social if you’re applying for jobs in political science, public policy, or public administration. The site includes job postings, status updates, and additional information for job market candidates www.politicalsciencejobs.org

Why do armed groups use extreme forms of violence? Read this #JOGSS article on how leadership transitions can shape the strategic use of extreme and costly violence, including beheadings, by jihadist organisations. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jogs...

Why do armed groups use extreme forms of violence? Excited to share this new open access article! Analyzing beheading attacks conducted by jihadist groups, we examine the impact of leadership succession, targeting, and tenure on organizational tactics academic.oup.com/jogss/articl...

The DC-Area Political Violence Workshop is holding its inaugural meeting in October 2026 at American University. The workshop aims to bring together DC-area researchers to share in progress work on political violence. Please reach out with any questions! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Excited to share this new article! How do groups respond to competition with al-Qaeda and IS? Using novel data and a DiD design, @ilaydaonder.bsky.social and I find that groups often restrain, rather than escalate, their violence in response to pledges to AQ and IS doi.org/10.1177/0022...

Postdoctoral research position at the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. Applications are due next month. I’m happy to answer any questions about the position! puwebp.princeton.edu/AcadHire/app...

Armed groups often publish denial statements to distance themselves from violent attacks. What effects do these statements have on public perceptions? Using a survey experiment, @ilaydaonder.bsky.social and I explore this question in this open access article! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

New publication in the Journal of Conflict Resolution! Why do rebel groups adopt different recruitment strategies? @michaeljsoules.bsky.social and I explore this question by examining the behavior of 232 rebel groups over recent decades journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Postdoc opening at Princeton SPIA. Applications are due this month. I’m more than happy to answer any questions about the position! puwebp.princeton.edu/AcadHire/app...

While this semester has had its ups and downs, my students have been consistently amazing

Here it is! A Starter Pack for Middle East News A couple things 1) Inclusion in this list should not be taken as an endorsement, this is to crystalize the MENA ecosystem so it can grow 2) Limit's 150, so if I missed you, hit me in the replies & I'll get you in the next one go.bsky.app/2pjNYfP

Hamas regroups in northern Gaza to prepare new offensive. And on it goes. www.theguardian.com/world/2024/j...

Conflictsky

Self-censorship, hostile pressure campaigns, feckless administrators. Shibley Telhami and I have a new article in the Chronicle of Higher Education based on our recent MESB survey of almost 1000 academic Middle East scholars. Its chilling. abuaardvark.substack.com/p/gaza-and-a...

New working paper with Werner Krause & Samer Massoud on the effects of targeting hospitals on violence dynamics in Northwest Syria hicn.org/working-pape... conflictsky polisky menasky

Interested in how al-Qaeda and it’s affiliates responded to the October 7 attacks? Sara Harmouch, @vladimirrauta.bsky.social, and I discuss these reactions, how they relate to al-Qaeda’s past relations with Hamas, and future implications for militant cooperation irregularwarfare.org/articles/the...

This may be too complex a topic for limited characters, but I’ll try: conventional wisdom in the hostage recovery community is the more “professional” the kidnapper, the better outcome for the hostage: less rash, more patient, better care, centralized decision-making authority about release 1/n

Really cool to see our article in print!

Conflictsky

There may be no day after in Gaza - Nathan Brown carnegieendowment.org/2023/11/03/t...

Amr Hamzaway on the Arab public response to Gaza carnegieendowment.org/2023/11/01/p...

A must-read on Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim perspectives by one of the most compelling voices on these issues @danaelkurd.bsky.social

Frontline uploaded their 2002 documentary on how the Oslo Accords had already fallen apart by the turn of the century. www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt3P...

How big have the protests over Gaza in the US been, what have they been saying, and how might they matter? I had a Good Chat with @jayulfelder.bsky.social and Jeremy Pressman from the Crowd Counting Consortium to find out. Check it out at @goodauth.bsky.social! goodauthority.org/news/us-prot...

Polisky

Remarkably timely Arab Barometer survey in Gaza found deep unpopularity of Hamas government. www.foreignaffairs.com/israel/what-...

I’m officially an et al.! We analyzed the discourse of al-Masra, an Arabic language newspaper linked to AQAP, surrounding over 100 individuals and organizations across 1250 articles Menasky Conflictsky www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...

I wrote about the hostage crisis ongoing since Hamas kidnapped scores of Israelis and foreigners on Saturday. So much is unknown, but here’s what I’ve got for now, in @goodauth.bsky.social ⤵️ polisky conflictsky intsec goodauthority.org/news/why-the...

Really pleased to share that "Making Sense, Making Choices: How Civilians Choose Survival Strategies During Violence" is accepted at the APSR. @apsa.bsky.social You can see the accepted version here! I'll post more about the paper once it's up on FirstView. aidanmilliff.com/media/Millif...

Make sure to check out @erikskare.no’s pathbreaking research on Palestinian Islamic Jihad if you’re interested in learning more about the organization. Conflictsky Menasky

Conflictsky

With the ongoing Hamas and Islamic State comparisons, @abuaardvark.bsky.social’s 2017 piece on lumping and splitting Islamist groups is still very relevant. Menasky carnegie-mec.org/diwan/68779

Really excited to be a Civil War Paths Fellow this coming year! Can’t wait to interact with other researchers working on armed conflict and the awesome team at the Centre www.civilwarpaths.org

🚨🚨Bridging the Gap is searching for our next Fellow to focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives! Please check out the call, share it with your networks, and apply! Happy to answer any questions ⤵️ polisky

Introducing Conflictsky, a new feed for political conflict and violence! Like and pin the feed here: bsky.app/profile/did:... To post, tag with 'conflictsky' or 'violencesky' It's a polisky sub-feed, so request to join that list if you haven't already: www.paulmusgrave.info/how-to-use-p...

The latest issue of MERIP is out: "Journalism and Activism in an Age of Transnational Repression." I had a blast editing this issue alongside an exceptional group of editors: Ayça Alemdaroğlu, Marc Owen Jones, and Kevin Schwartz.

@markberlin2.bsky.social is one of the top up-and-coming folks working on political violence & armed groups in the region (and is on the market - so hire him!) tnsr.org/2023/07/rest...

Sharing our recent article here! We argue that armed groups often have incentives to *restrain* their violence rather than outbid in competitive settings. We use Arabic language sources and event-data to examine the behavior of groups in Algeria and Yemen. Polisky Menasky tnsr.org/2023/07/rest...

This week, the Biden Administration secured the release of five American hostages from Iran. Curious about the context and criticism surrounding the deal? Check out my first piece for @goodauth.bsky.social! ⤵️ polisky goodauthority.org/news/bidens-...

I’ve created a list for MENA folks called menasky Follow it by searching lists and pinning to your profile Post to it by adding the word menasky to your post Join it by asking me to add you Let’s make menasky a thing!

Excited to share my dissertation research alongside really interesting projects by @reginesonja, @busranozguler, and @ipekecesener. Many thanks to @luwei_ying, @Chris_W_Blair, and @AJKnuppe for helping out! Let us know if you’d like the Zoom link for the panel!

If you are interested in the processes & pathways via which Indonesian & Filipino Muslims join Islamist extremist groups; what motivates them to join; & why some go on to participate in terrorist attacks, please check out my new book: Becoming Jihadis: Radicalization & Commitment in Southeast Asia.

With apps close to submission, I guess that means I’m officially on the job market! My research interests lie at the intersection of CP and IR. I study questions surrounding political violence, civil wars, militant leadership, discourse, international security, and proxy wars