James
Piazza
Professor of Political Science
Expertise:
- Politics & Policy
Focus Areas:
- American Foreign Policy
- American Politics
- International Affairs
- Politics
In The Media:
About
- Piazza can speak to how has national security changed since 9/11 and terrorism now vs. 20 years ago.
- He can also discuss more broadly Middle East politics, politics in the Islamic world, terrorism, U.S. foreign policy, and the Taliban and regional politics.
- His current research looks at how politicians' hate speech and social media disinformation campaigns drive domestic terrorism in countries.
James Piazza’s research examines a wide variety of themes regarding terrorism, including its socioeconomic roots, its relationship with minority rights, democratic governance and human rights violations, the role that religion plays in terrorist movements, and how demographic changes affect attitudes toward counterterrorism.
In The Media
U.S. knew Iranian missiles were coming ahead of strike; Trump announces new sanctions
from USA Today January 9, 2020
"The president has so thoroughly alienated traditional U.S. allies, I am not very optimistic that he will be able to put more pressure on Iran with allied help and support," Piazza said.
Photos reveal extensive damage to US Embassy in Baghdad as American soldiers rush to region
from USA Today January 4, 2020
"The PMF has vowed further acts of revenge against the U.S. for the airstrikes," Piazza told USA TODAY. "It may become impossible for the Iraqi government to balance Sunnis and Shiites."
Democracy Works: Understanding And Addressing Domestic Terrorism
from WPSU March 16, 2021
Piazza talks about why it seems to have taken so long for the U.S. to recognize domestic terrorism as a threat and what 20 years of studying international terrorism can teach us about radicalization and deradicalization.
Why words matter: Political violence increases when politicians use inflammatory language
from Scroll.in October 1, 2020
"Politicians deepen existing divides when they use inflammatory language, such as hate speech, and this makes their societies more likely to experience political violence and terrorism. That’s the conclusion from a study I recently did on the connection between political rhetoric and actual violence."
Related Topic
Related
Topic
National Security and Immigration
Issues of national security are top-of-mind for voters this election cycle, as Americans have expressed increasing anxiety over illegal immigration and terrorism over the past year, according to Gallup. Penn State has experts who can put these complex topics into perspective, including explaining the impact of immigration on the U.S and how threats of political violence emerge.