Is ISIS hurting holiday sales? An expert explains (Part 1 of 4)

Expert advisory for Thursday and Friday, Dec. 3 and 4, 2015

AUGUSTA, Ga. – As threats of homegrown terrorism grow, many Americans may wonder if it’s safe to go out on major holidays.

“ISIS has threatened to attack the United States; they’ve threatened to attack U.S. soft targets. You literally can’t defend all soft targets,” said Dr. Craig Albert, assistant professor of political science at Augusta University. “For some individuals, this is going to prevent them from going out on major holidays or major shopping days. I think that’s a mistake because that’s literally giving in to terror. We have to go on with our daily lives. We have to encourage the lifestyle of a liberal democratic republic.”

As a leading scholar in American politics and foreign affairs, Albert’s research focuses on Islamic extremism and the rise of ISIS, the fight between ISIS and the Kurds and the Russo-Chechen conflict. In a new video, he discusses why Americans should understand ISIS as a threat but not fear it.

“This is a risk that you take in an open society,” Albert said. “What makes America great is the liberties that we have, and we can’t get rid of any of that for the sake of security or you’re no longer worth protecting in some of the Founding Fathers’ eyes for instance.”

Albert teaches courses on war and terrorism, American politics and political philosophy; he also directs the Model United Nations Program. Albert is a political contributor to The Augusta Chronicle and a blogger for ROAR: Renaissance for American Responsibility. He’s appeared on national media broadcasts, including a live interview segment with Megyn Kelly for Fox News Channel about the Boston Marathon bombers. He has also testified to the U.S. Congress on Islamic Extremism. He is available to discuss:

Why do people join ISIS and turn against their home country?
How can we defeat ISIS?
Why should Americans understand but not fear ISIS?
How could racism and racial profiling work against us and help ISIS?

Video linked to in this advisory is available for broadcast and intended for use with information provided within this release. Credit is not required; however, we ask that you appropriately identify Dr. Albert and Augusta University in the super and/or audio in broadcast. For more background information on ISIS, watch additional videos from Albert, including: