Friction. How Conflict Radicalizes Them and Us

321 Pages·2017·15.222 MB·English

by  Clark McCauley, Sophia Moskalenko

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Advance Praise for Friction: How
Conflict Radicalizes Them and Us,
Revised and Expanded Edition
“In this timely update, McCauley and Moskalenko examine lone actors and the
role of emotion in radicalization for the first time, offering a working theory
on the emotional state of individuals who choose to act without the more
well-understood forces of group dynamics spurring them on. In addition, they
describe one of the great challenges facing the analytical community when it
comes to radicalization—the disconnect between the relatively large number
of people who hold radical opinions and the relatively small number of people
who act out on those opinions. Their ‘Two-Pyramids Model’, as they refer to
it, will undoubtedly serve as a cornerstone of future counterterrorism policy
and programmatic decisions, as well as a framing device for robust academic
debate. One cannot grapple with the challenge of radicalization, or participate
in a meaningful conversation on the topic, without having read this book.”
—William Braniff, Executive Director, National Consortium for
the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START),
University of Maryland, College Park
“The new, updated version of this book comes at a most appropriate time.
What drives some individuals to engage in deadly terrorist attacks, often at
the cost of their own lives? Avoiding easy stereotyping, this work compares
quite different versions of murderous terrorism, from Russian revolutionaries
who were trying to overthrow repressive Czarism, to contemporary American
anti-abortion fanatics, to the most recent Muslim terrorists who seek martyr-
dom by massacring innocents. Using vast amounts of historical and compara-
tive research and profound psychological insights, McCauley and Moskalenko
show that there is no simple answer, and no single ideology that is at fault.
Nevertheless the authors demonstrate that a combination of situational and
personal circumstances that lead individuals to such actions can explain what
motivates them. Predicting all attacks may be impossible, but the better un-
derstanding the book offers and the solutions it proposes can help us limit the
damage and avoid making the situation worse.”
—Daniel Chirot, Herbert Ellison Professor of Russian and Eurasian
Studies, University of Washington, and co-author of The Shape of the
New: Four Big Ideas and How They Made the Modern World
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“In an updated version that makes it even more relevant to understanding
today’s threat of terrorism, this timely book is a combination of social psy-
chological theory and history that explains how individuals can shift attitudes
and behavior from ordinariness to radicalization and violence. It provides a
historical context that grounds an astute and clear-headed analysis of jihadist
as well as other contemporary extremist violence.”
—Martha Crenshaw, Senior Fellow, Center for International
Security and Cooperation, and Professor of Political Science,
Stanford University
“This groundbreaking book’s first edition identified twelve mechanisms to
explain what leads individuals and groups to commit politically motivated vio-
lence. The authors use these mechanisms to illuminate case histories of ISIS
and Al Qaeda supporters today as well as histories of secular left-wing Russian
revolutionaries of the 19th century. The second edition is even better and
highlights the importance of emotion in radicalization to violence, the need to
distinguish between extremist ideology/attitudes and political violence/acts,
and the dynamics of terrorist attack and government response. This book,
in short, is an absolute must read for all scholars, policy makers, and practi-
tioners interested in better understanding how insurgents and governments
radicalize, and how these processes can be thwarted. First-class scholarship!”
—Joshua D. Freilich, Professor, College of Criminal Justice,
John Jay College
“With two new chapters and a revised conclusion, the best book on radicaliza-
tion just got better. McCauley and Moskalenko remind us that radicalization
isn’t just about them. It is equally a story about us, and how our responses to
the terrorist threat contribute to our own radicalization. As urgent and in-
sightful as ever, this book should be read by every politician and policymaker
seeking a smarter way to respond to terrorism.”
—John Horgan, Professor, Global Studies Institute
and Department of Psychology, Georgia State University,
and author of The Psychology of Terrorism
“This new and updated edition of McCauley and Moskalenko’s volume on
terrorism and radicalization (like the outstanding original version) offers in-
valuable insights into the psychological and social psychological factors that
push and pull individuals to violent extremism. Drawing on personal stories of
terrorists across time and space the authors illustrate the universal processes
underlying these pernicious phenomena and illuminate the unique circum-
stances and personalities as they interact with those processes. A must read
to all those with keen interest in psychology, terrorism and their interface.”
—Arie W. Kruglanski, Distinguished University Professor,
University of Maryland, College Park
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“In the first edition of Friction, McCauley and Moskalenko produced one of
the most important and comprehensive studies of radicalization available. In
this updated edition, coverage is expanded to address the challenge of radical-
ization with ‘lone-wolf’ terrorists, along with their two-pyramid model that
delineates a critical distinction between radical opinion and radical action.
Superbly written with rich detail and example, it represents a significant
advancement of the field.”
—Anthony F. Lemieux, Director of the Global Studies Institute,
Georgia State University
“Following terrorist attacks in Paris, San Bernardino, and Orlando, gov-
ernment officials and publics are urgently seeking to identify and thwart
the next mass casualty killer. In this extremely accessible and well-doc-
umented study, Moskalenko and McCauley build on their previous re-
search to assess recent attacks, with particular emphasis on the “lone-wolf”
and “family pair” varieties. The authors do not shy away from potential
controversy. For example, in emphasizing the importance of means and
opportunity, they suggest that, rather than scanning Facebook pages or
surveilling mosques, it might be more useful for authorities to concen-
trate on shooting ranges and gun clubs. Overall, this is a very compelling,
well-researched and timely book that should be on the bookshelf of every
scholar or practitioner interested in the complex subject of terrorism and
political violence.”
—Paul J. Smith, Professor, Naval War College, and author of
The Terrorism Ahead: Confronting Transnational
Violence in the 21st Century
“Deftly applying insights from the psychology lab and knowledge distilled
from analyzing recurrent paths to political violence, both past and present,
McCauley and Moskalenko explain how mentally sound people can end up
committing terrible acts. Readers learn why love is more relevant than brain-
washing in the development of a terrorist, how a group of army recruits re-
sembles a terrorist cell, why people without radical beliefs may join radical
groups, and why only a tiny minority of those with radical beliefs take the
step to violent action. With the concept of jujitsu politics, the authors make
the case that terrorists, despite that designation, are often at least as intent on
provoking anger in their targets as on instilling fear—reaction, no less than
action, is essential to the dynamics of terrorism.”
—Joel Wallman, Program Officer, The H.F. Guggenheim
Foundation for Violence Research
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Praise for Friction: How Radicalization
Happens to Them and Us
“So much has been written about radicalization that is generic or apocry-
phal that the field needs desperately to find a contribution that is systematic,
research-based, clear, and persuasive. And that is the task that McCauley and
Moskalenko have taken on, and triumphantly achieved. The book works ana-
lytically; it works because it tells the tales of the violent and radicalized com-
prehensively, and it works because it does not just focus on ‘them’, but on ‘us,
and on the inter-relationship. In short, it is the most important book written
on this complex and politicized subject to date.”
—Stuart Croft, Professor of International Security,
Warwick University, UK, and author of Culture,
Crisis and America’s War on Terror
“What do militants of the old Russian terrorist group, People’s Will, and cur-
rent-day Al Qaeda have in common? Going beyond stereotypes of terrorists’
pathological personalities, this book presents compelling evidence of a com-
plex set of causal mechanisms working at the individual and group levels. In
many and diverse contexts, this book shows the importance of identification
and politicization processes in transforming grievances into action in under-
ground violent organizations.”
—Donatella Della Porta, Professor of Sociology, European University
Institute, and author of Social Movements, Political Violence, and
the State: A Comparative Analysis of Italy and Germany
“In this brilliant book, McCauley and Moskalenko exploit our interest in true
crime stories to help us overcome our inability to think objectively about
the Islamic terrorism we are now battling. They tell us stories about the first
modern terrorist group, fighting the Czar in the late 19th century, and then
show us the same patterns at work in American homegrown terrorists and
Islamic terrorists. This is social psychology at its best dramatic stories ex-
emplifying accessible theories, backed up by clever experiments and set into
multiple historical contexts. You’ll understand terrorists for the first time, and
you’ll see how we can best thwart their goals by refusing to play their game.”
—Jonathan Haidt, Professor of Psychology, University of Virginia,
and author of The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth
in Ancient Wisdom
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“People commonly react to horrendous acts of violence such as the 9/11 at-
tacks by searching for explanations that focus on the culprits. In strong contrast,
McCauley and Moskalenko argue that terrorism is fueled by the friction between
radical extremists and the individuals and ideas they oppose. This thoughtful, yet
readable, book shows that horrendous or not, terrorists cannot escape basic prin-
ciples of social psychology—but then, neither can the rest of us.”
—Gary LaFree, Director, National Consortium for the Study of
Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), and author
of Losing Legitimacy: Street Crime and the Decline
of Social Institutions in America
“Anyone concerned with predicting or intervening against intergroup vio-
lence should read this book. The authors engagingly present a wide range of
case studies to show how individuals, groups, and mass publics are mobilized
for political conflict.”
—Todd Leventhal, Director of Interagency Strategic
Communication Network, U.S. Department of State
“This book introduces twelve mechanisms that underlie political radicaliza-
tion and lead to violence and terrorism. In their highly systematic yet readable
account, the authors identify mechanisms that can be found at work in every
terrorist group, whatever its ideology. The authors provide new and effective
tools for understanding political events, and for recognizing and controlling
the extent to which radicalization affects all of us. Cases of modern and 19th
century terrorists are interwoven to offer vividness and historical depth.”
—Ifat Maoz, Director, Smart Communications Institute,
Hebrew University of Israel
“Both long-term students of political violence and a more general readership will
find this book fascinating. It will not only be used in the classroom, but (at least
in my personal case) be kept on the shelf as a reference book on key social psy-
chological mechanisms of political radicalization. In my opinion, no other work
so smoothly integrates a sophisticated treatment of social psychology into the
important, and poorly understood, subject of political violence and terrorism.”
—Roger Petersen, former Arthur and Ruth Sloan Chair of Political
Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and author of
Understanding Ethnic Violence: Fear, Hatred, Resentment
in Twentieth Century Eastern Europe
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“McCauley and Moskalenko markedly advance and order our understanding
of how individuals are radicalized and why the process often yields terror-
ists. The authors impart needed discipline and common sense to a field where
abstract theory unconnected to reality often dominates. Most important, the
authors describe and analyze the very personal, dramatic, disorienting, and fre-
quently searing experiences that put men and women on radicalization’s path.”
—Michael Scheuer, former senior officer, Central Intelligence
Agency; Adjunct Professor, Security Studies Program, Georgetown
University; and author of Imperial Hubris and Osama bin Laden
“In this excellent book, the authors describe the personal experiences and
psychology of individuals, as well as the dynamics of groups, which lead to
radicalization. Mechanisms of radicalization- including personal and political
grievances, ideals, inducement by friends, the attractions of risk-taking and
status, and the interdependence of people in groups-are highlighted through
stories of terrorists in earlier times and today. This is a compelling, highly
readable book that offers impressive understanding of terrorist individuals
and groups.”
—Ervin Staub, Founding Director, Psychology of Peace and Violence
Program, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and author of
The Roots of Goodness and Resistance to Evil: Inclusive Caring, Moral
Courage, Altruism Born of Suffering, Active Bystandership, and Heroism
“McCauley (Why Not Kill Them All?), co-director of the Solomon Asch Center
for the Study or Ethnopolitical Conflict, and Moskalenko, a research fellow
at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to
Terrorism, seek a more complex discussion of terrorism, and methodically ex-
amine radicalization. A better understanding of the mechanisms under which
terrorism thrives can lead to more efficacious counter-terrorism policies. A
valuable contribution to the ongoing dialogue.”
—Publishers Weekly
“This book may be of value for students in various introductory, and even
some advanced, university courses. Instructors in criminal justice, sociology,
political science, and psychology may want to consider this volume for their
classes’ reading lists.”
— Frederick J. Frese, PsycCRITIQUES
vii
“The beauty of Friction is in the organization and writing. McCauley and
Moskalenko discuss twelve radicalization mechanisms distinguished at three
levels: individual, group, and mass radicalization. To illustrate these mecha-
nisms, the authors liberally sprinkle a wide range of cases throughout the
book that take the reader back and forth from the nineteenth century to the
present and across many political contexts and cultures. . . . Friction is an excel-
lent book to introduce a wide range of students to research on radicalism and
can also serve as a springboard to new research that fills gaps they highlight in
existing explanations of radical politics.”
—Robert Futrell, University of Nevada, Las Vegas,
Journal Mobilization
“Written for the lay reader, with recommended reading lists after each chap-
ter, Friction takes a well-integrated and thoughtful approach to the many driv-
ers of unrest and upheaval. It offers valuable insights to students of history,
politics, psychology, and war.”
— Elissa Malcohn, review in Psych Central
“Friction takes a refreshingly newer look at radicalization, and it should be
on the list of every reader who is interested in studying and understanding
radicalization. Everyone who is fighting against radicalized individuals should
read this book so they have a baseline understanding of what they are up
against and how individuals who are radicalized can take a perceived wrong-
doing from an event in their childhood or early adulthood and use that event
as a foundation for radicalization later in life. On a positive note, if one wants
to radicalize others for the good of humanity, reading this book will help him
or her understand what is involved in motivating others to join a cause and
find passion for that cause.”
—Robin L. Thompson, NASA Counterintelligence Office,
review in Journal of Strategic Security
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Friction