Mary Beth E Altier

Dr. Mary Beth Altier is a Clinical Professor at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs where she leads the Masters’ Degree concentration in Transnational Security and Initiative on Emerging Threats. She received her PhD and MA in Politics from Princeton University and BAs in Mathematics and History from Drew University.

Dr. Altier’s interests are in international security, political violence, political behavior, nationalism, and ethnic conflict. She has over fifteen years’ experience researching the disengagement and reintegration of violent extremists. This work includes large-scale literature reviews, the compilation and analysis of quantitative datasets, and in-depth interviews with individuals across a range of violent extremist ideologies. Dr. Altier’s other research examines popular support for armed political parties in developed and developing democracies. Her work has been published in a number of journals including International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Global Security Studies, Journal of Peace Research, Security Studies, Terrorism and Political Violence, and Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. She serves on the editorial boards of Terrorism and Political Violence, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Perspectives on Terrorism, Journal for Deradicalization, and Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression. Dr. Altier has been invited to present her research to various government audiences and international organizations including NATO, Europol, and the UN. She has also published in Lawfare and the Washington Post and been quoted
in various media outlets including PBS, The New York Times, WIRED, USA Today, Vox, and The Daily Beast. 
At the Center for Global Affairs, Professor Altier teaches courses in Transnational Security, Transnational Terrorism, and Analytic Skills. She also runs Consulting Practica for students with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the US State Department, and the Strong Cities Network and leads a Global Field Intensive to Dublin, Belfast, and London. Dr. Altier received the NYU SPS Excellence in Teaching Award in 2017 and 2023.

Publications

• The psychology of terrorist roles By De Gruyter Handbook of the Psychology of Terrorism (Mar 17 2026)
• Voting for violence: Security vacuums and armed party support By Journal of Global Security Studies (Aug 21 2025)
• Standards for employing formers in P/CVE By ICCT Policy Brief (Nov 01 2024)
• Combating the terrorist stigma? Communicating rehabilitation and reducing barriers to reintegration By Terrorism and Political Violence (Apr 05 2024)
• Framing states: Unitary actor language and public support for coercive foreign policy By International Studies Quarterly (Jan 01 2023)
• On re-engagement and risk factors By Terrorism and Political Violence (May 04 2021)
• Criminal or terrorist?: Fear, bias, and public support for prisoner reentry Programs By Terrorism and Political Violence (Apr 05 2021)
• Violent Extremist Disengagement and Reintegration: Lessons from Over 30 Years of DDR By The RESOLVE Network/USIP (Mar 22 2021)
• Lessons for reintegrating Islamic State detainees By Lawfare (Mar 07 2021)
• Terrorist transformations: the link between terrorist roles and terrorist disengagement By Studies in Conflict and Terrorism (Jan 21 2020)
• Returning to the fight: an empirical analysis of terrorist reengagement and recidivism By Terrorism and Political Violence (Nov 18 2019)
• Why they leave: an analysis of terrorist disengagement events from eighty-seven autobiographical accounts By Security Studies (Apr 01 2017)
• Walking away: the disengagement and de-radicalization of a violent right-wing extremist By Behavioral Science of Terrorism and Political Agg. (Jan 01 2017)
• Turning away from terrorism: Lessons from psychology, sociology, and criminology By Journal of Peace Research (Sep 01 2014)
• Violence, Elections, and Party Politics By Terrorism and Political Violence (Jun 30 2013)
• In their own words?: Methodological considerations in the analysis of terrorist autobiographies By Journal of Strategic Security (Dec 30 2012)
• The future of terrorist deradicalization programs By Georgetown Journal of International Affairs (Jun 30 2012)