Information Control, Loss of Autonomy, and the Emergence of Political Extremism

The paper is concerned with two broad problems. The first pertains to the forces that shape the map of extremist opportunities, that political entrepreneurs and leaders can then exploit: who becomes an extremist, and what mechanisms are conducive to the radicalization of potential candidates. The second is that of explaining why political extremists engage in activities such as terrorism, violence, hatred and resentment. We note that groups which appear to have the same broad orientation and to be moved by the desire to achieve similar goals often engage in different kinds of activities, and we offer an analysis of signaling and destabilization which appears capable of explaining some of the behaviors of political extremist groups.