Category Archives: Uncategorized

Donald Trump and the Terrorism Loop

Posted on June 5, 2017 by Rayan Zehn

In my most recent post I discussed several explanations of religious terrorism in international relations scholarship. The list is by no means exhaustive, but it is thorough. Bottom line: Terrorism is more common in the Muslim world for a host of … Continue reading →

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Causes of Radical Jihadist Terrorism

Posted on April 17, 2017 by Rayan Zehn

In international relations the concept of terrorism usually always boils down to Islamic radical terror. Few other categories of terrorists operate internationally; therefore, most of the literature centers on violent Islamic Jihad. So what are the causes? How can we … Continue reading →

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Probability of Falling Victim to Jihadist Terror in the US: A Correction and Update

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Rayan Zehn

The other day I made a blog post pointing out the extraordinary unlikelihood of a person becoming victim to a Jihadist terrorist attack in the United States. I regret to write that I got the math wrong somewhat. The intuition was … Continue reading →

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Trump Turned My University into a Liar and a Criminal Organization

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Rayan Zehn

Trump’s executive order last week temporarily restricting refugees and travelers from certain Muslim-majority countries has turned my university into a liar and a criminal organization—if you take it literally. My university has a statement on the Office of Institutional Equity … Continue reading →

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Shocking Consciences: Things Aren’t as Bad as They Appear

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Rayan Zehn

For the last couple days—well, since Friday, anyway—my social circle, which is comprised mostly of college students, military members, and academics, has been shocked by the direction this country is going. When I say shocked, I mean their consciences have … Continue reading →

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What the Hell Happened to Our Fake News?

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Rayan Zehn

Being a skeptic is not trite, but it’s also not difficult. Simply put, don’t believe anything until you have a good reason to believe it. This is true for almost all claims. While it’s unreasonable to expect evidence for claims … Continue reading →

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Simple Logic for Religion and Politics

Posted on January 5, 2017 by Rayan Zehn

Syllogisms are not what many people think they are, and the American political landscape is a testament to this fact. Too often I hear people construct logical arguments with sound sounding propositions but, taken together, are deeply flawed. Take this … Continue reading →

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A New Religion That’ll Bring You to Your Knees: My Father’s God Has Orange Hair

Posted on December 24, 2016 by Rayan Zehn

Being a political scientist is not what many think. We are not politicians drafting legislation. We are not activists trying to make the world a better place, according to our own preferences. And we certainly aren’t trying to get people … Continue reading →

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Time’s Arrow Rounded a Bend: Trump, Putin, and the Reduction of Certainty

Posted on November 12, 2016 by Rayan Zehn

Reducing uncertainty is the only thing politics strives to achieve. While legislation might be written to address precise economic, political, or social grievances, the process is an exercise in uncertainty reduction, making sense of highly complex phenomena. The more certain … Continue reading →

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The Alt-Right and Atheism: Overlap and Divide

Posted on October 10, 2016 by Rayan Zehn

A small but growing conservative movement is popping up in the US, fueled in part by well-known atheist Youtubers and bloggers. The movement is referred to as the Alt-Right—or alternative right—movement by some. And some atheist are quick to endorse Alt-Right … Continue reading →

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