Political Violence and Radicalization: Diagnostics, Causes, and Interventions

Abstract

From the alleged killing of the healthcare CEO by Luigi Mangione to assassination attempts against major political figures across the globe, politically motivated violence is seemingly on the rise, to the point that a 2022 report from the United Nations claims that in the past 15 years “more than half of the world’s population has lived in direct contact or proximity to significant political violence.” But what is political violence? In which ways is partisan violence different from, say, terrorism, violent electoral unrest, and violent rhetoric on social media and beyond? To what extent are we witnessing a radicalization of politics across the world, and what are its drivers and pathways? And finally, what does political science have to say about the alleged rise in violence – and possible solutions to curb it? The panel, moderated by EPSR and EJPR editors, brings together scholars with expertise on rhetorical violence, radical protest, harassment of politicians, and violence in autocracies.