Jason Blazakis

The Wagner Group’s Social Footprint: A Time-Series Sentiment Analysis of PMC World

Jason Blazakis, Kojin Glick, Alice Shepard — 2023-03-03T11:09:45-0800

The Changing Face of the Wagner Group: From Military Adventurism to Venture Capitalism

Jason Blazakis, Kojin Glick, and Alice Shepard — 2023-03-03T10:21:59-0800

The Weaponization of Conspiracy Theories: A Growing National Security Threat

Jason Blazakis, Matthew Kriner, Erica Barbarossa, Eli Drachman — 2022-07-25T20:03:37-0700

How New is the New Extremist Threat? Preliminary Conclusions from the U.S. Capitol Arrests Data

Jason Blazakis, Nate Rosenblatt — 2021-03-17T14:53:29-0700

We believe there are a variety of demographics, beliefs, intentions, levels of organization, and propensity to commit acts of violence represented in the Capitol arrests. And, while President Donald Trump’s rhetoric brought these individuals together, it would be a mistake to label them with a broad-brush stroke and conclude that they are all extremists who see violence as a tool for political change. Instead, the Biden administration should treat the Jan. 6 cases going forward with more nuance. Not all Capitol rioters were violent, not all Capitol rioters were extremist, and not all Capitol rioters were part of a mass movement. - Nate Rosenblatt, and Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies Professor Jason Blazakis, director of the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism argue in op-ed published by War on the Rocks.

Op-Ed: Why QAnon’s similarity to other cults makes it a significant national security threat

Jason Blazakis, Los Angeles Times — 2021-02-21T07:34:16-0800

“The most radical QAnon believers exhibit traits that have manifested among dangerous cults and doomsday groups — a willingness to dismiss their own individuality for a perceived greater good.” Middlebury Institute Professor Jason Blazakis, director of the Center on Terrorism, Extremism and Counterterrorism writes about the cult of Qanon and similarities to cults of the past in The Los Angeles Times.