Publications

Alakoc, Burcu Pinar and Alanna Johnson. 2025. “Which Target is the Right Target? The Connection between Terrorists’ Reputation Building and Target Selection,” Terrorism and Political Violence 37(6): 796-814.

Terrorist organizations do not attack random targets, but rather there is a strategic logic behind their target selection. Given that some common targets are associated with significant reputational costs, risks, and repercussions to terrorist organizations, what explains their targeting choices? Utilizing the Reputation of Terror Groups Dataset and including indicators from the Global Terrorism Database, we argue that targeting choices of terrorist organizations hinge on their reputational concerns with respect to their core constituents. Groups that invest in building a positive reputation in the eyes of their intended constituents are inclined toward concentrating a larger number of their attacks on hard targets, whereas groups that engage in reputationally-damaging actions that harm their constituents are more likely to go after civilian targets in larger numbers. Our results show that there is indeed a statistically significant and important relationship between reputation building and target selection by terrorist groups.

Alakoc, Burcu Pinar and Victor Asal. 2024. “Law & Order in Counterinsurgency: The Link between Insurgent Group Characteristics and The Use of Domestic Law Enforcement,” Journal of Global Security Studies 9(4), ogae029.

Modern-day insurgencies are adaptive, enduring, and increasingly intertwined with criminal elements, and therefore pose serious threats to regional and global security. In response, counterinsurgency strategies have become more diversified. One of the strategies that states can employ toward insurgencies is the use of domestic law enforcement, which includes operations by police and intelligence agencies. Given the predominant focus on military approaches, however, there is little empirical work that examines the use of domestic law enforcement in counterinsurgencies. To address this, we investigate the underlying reasons behind a government’s decision to deploy domestic law enforcement against insurgencies. We argue that specific attributes of insurgent groups significantly shape this decision. Using the BAADI2 dataset, our analysis shows that insurgent groups that participate in cooperative alliances and engage in criminal activities are most likely to motivate a state’s decision to deploy domestic law enforcement as a counterinsurgency strategy against them.

Alakoc, Burcu Pinar, Alan Zarychta, and Gulay Ugur Goksel. 2023. “Public Attitudes about Integration and Citizenship for Refugees: Evidence from Turkey,” Politics & Policy (51) 5: 775-799.

This study examines attitudes about integration and support for citizenship in the context of the Syrian refugee crisis in Turkey based on 85 interviews in four provinces. Consistent with past research, respondents reported multiple threat perceptions around refugees, with security and cultural threats predominating. Those who perceived refugees as threatening in three or more ways generally believed in fewer prospects for integration and were unlikely to support citizenship. However, positive views were present among those who reported one or even two types of threats, indicating there are possibilities for developing inclusionary attitudes even in the presence of threat perceptions. Our research also identifies two counterintuitive reasons some individuals support citizenship for refugees: to reduce security threats and remedy perceived favoritism in social support policies. These findings shed light on the complex bases of attitudes around migration and have important implications for designing refugee settlement policies and efforts to support integration.

Alakoc, Burcu Pinar, Gulay Ugur Goksel and Alan Zarychta. 2022. “Political Discourse and Public Attitudes toward Syrian Refugees in Turkey,” Comparative Politics 54 (3): 547-571.

Abstract: Sustaining positive attitudes toward refugees is a priority as refugee crises surge worldwide. This study draws on 85 in-depth interviews with citizens in four provinces across Turkey. We identified prominent frames from Turkish political discourse and asked individuals to recount their self-narratives of attitude formation about Syrian refugees. We find that most respondents’ narratives included multiple frames, confirming that attitudes are often products of contradictory factors. Furthermore, humanitarianism and shared religion, frames thought to support positive attitudes, did not have such straightforward associations here. Humanitarianism was a positive force early, but had limits as compassion fatigue set in, and respondents described polarizing differences in religious practices rather than shared religion. Our work highlights the importance of examining attitude formation in non-Western settings for understanding views about and supporting societal inclusion of refugees.

Alakoc, Burcu Pinar, Stephanie Werner, Mike Widmeier. 2021. “Violent and Nonviolent Strategies of Terrorist Organizations: How do Mixed Strategies Influence Terrorist Recruitment and Lethality?” Studies in Conflict and Terrorism.

Abstract: Terrorist organizations do not solely rely on violence; but also utilize a range of nonviolent activities from political engagement to social services provision. We argue that terrorist organizations that use a combination of violent and nonviolent strategies are more effective in achieving two important organizational goals than those that rely solely on violent strategies. Using the Reputation of Terror Groups Dataset (2016), we demonstrate that organizations that deploy both violent and nonviolent strategies are better able to attract new recruits and carry out more lethal attacks than those that rely exclusively on violence.

Alakoc, Burcu Pinar. 2020. “Femme Fatale: The Lethality of Female Suicide Bombers,” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 43 (9): 796-814.  

Abstract: Are female suicide bombers deadlier than male suicide bombers? Utilizing newly coded data on the tactical attributes of suicide terrorism worldwide from 1998 to 2015, this study shows that the use of female suicide bombers is not only positively correlated with the lethality of the suicide attacks, but also accentuates the existing tactical advantages of suicide terrorism. Especially in the cases of soft targets like civilians, and easily accessible locations, the deadliest outcomes result from those attacks carried out by female suicide bombers.

Alakoc, Burcu Pinar. 2019. “Terror in the Classroom: Teaching Terrorism without Terrorizing,” Journal of Political Science Education 15 (2): 218-236.

Abstract: Despite its popularity among students, terrorism is a sensitive and emotive topic that is difficult to learn, and challenging to teach. Given the lack of a simple definition, terrorism is hard to explain objectively and comprehensively. Perceptually value-laden and provocative, it can reinforce stereotypes and prejudices against a group of people generating conflicting emotional reactions in the classroom. The disturbingly violent nature of the subject can also be hard to communicate to students while staying calm and professional. Additionally, it is a subject where interactive methods cannot easily be incorporated, and the use of humor may come out as inappropriate and abrasive to different audiences. Taking these as a point of departure, this paper draws on my experiences as a researcher and professor of terrorism to illustrate the ways in which these challenges can be mitigated. Overall, the article provides examples and strategies to help instructors not terrorize or be terrorized while teaching sensitive and controversial subjects such as terrorism.

Alakoc, Burcu Pinar. 2017. “When Suicide Kills: An Empirical Analysis of the Lethality of Suicide Terrorism,” International Journal of Conflict and Violence 11: 1-15.

Abstract: Why are some suicide terrorist attacks deadlier than others? Suicide bombers, unlike stationary bombs, are self-guided human weapons; they can deliver and detonate explosives at a specific time and place with precision. Coding and analyzing new data on over four hundred suicide terrorist incidents from all around the world between 1998 and 2015, this paper argues that the number of fatalities resulting from suicide attacks is a function of strategic choices made by the perpetrators, such as where to attack and whom to target. Results of this analysis show that suicide attacks that seize targets of opportunity are the most lethal. Specifically, suicide attacks that target civilians in enclosed and easily accessible places, and that are undertaken by multiple perpetrators result in the highest numbers of fatalities. Understanding these strategic tactical attributes of suicide terrorism is fundamental to devising effective counterterrorism strategies that aim at hardening soft targets and minimizing the lethal impact of these attacks.

Alakoc, Burcu Pinar. 2017. “Competing to Kill: Terrorist Organizations versus Lone Wolf Terrorists,” Terrorism and Political Violence 29 (3): 509-532.

Abstract: Are organizationally linked suicide attacks deadlier than those launched by lone wolf terrorists? This article elaborates a perpetrator-based distinction among suicide terrorist attacks between organizations and lone wolf terrorists, who operate in the absence of a financially or physically supportive terrorist organization. The expectation is that terrorist organizations would serve as commitment tools that increase the loyalty of suicide bombers to their missions through material and non-material incentives. Findings demonstrate that when terrorist organizations are involved in the planning and execution of suicide terrorist attacks, not only do they increase the lethality of these attacks but they also accentuate the tactical advantages of suicide terrorism. These findings suggest that despite the recent upsurge and concern about lone wolf terrorism, the lethality and security impacts of suicide terrorism continue to be driven by terrorist organizations.

Book Chapter

Alakoc, Burcu Pinar and Emel Ozdora-Aksak. 2022. Comparing National versus International Coverage of Terrorism: A Framing Analysis of the Reina Nightclub Terrorist Attack in Media and Terrorism in the 21^st Century eds. Ebru Karadogan Ismayil and Elnur Ismayil, Publisher IGI Global (DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-9755-2)

Abstract: While terrorist incidents are physically, psychologically and financially costly, they also provide targeted governments with a window of opportunity to engage in public diplomacy in the international arena. In the wake of terrorist attacks, leaders of the targeted countries can try to use media outlets to convey intentionally-crafted messages and framing strategies, described generally as public diplomacy, to foster dialogue and shape international public opinion. The success of public diplomacy, however, depends on how far these national messages reach, and how effective they are in swaying international public opinion. Drawing on national and international news sources, this study conducts a framing analysis of forty new stories covering the Reina nightclub terrorist attack, which took place in Istanbul on New Year’s Eve of 2017. It analyzes the similarities and differences in the national versus international media coverage of the incident, and discusses their implications for the effectiveness of Turkish public diplomacy.

Current Research Projects

• Street-level Bureaucrats, Public Attitudes, and Integration of Syrian Refugees in Turkey
• Citizen-centered Counterterrorism Strategies and Their Effectiveness