His work on asymmetric conflict focuses on the study of civil war, insurgency, nonviolent protest, and terrorism, and his work in international relations theory focuses on the concepts of coercion, perception, misperception, rationality, and signaling in the international system. Abrahms is an active term member at the Council on Foreign Relations. He holds a PhD in political science from the University of California-Los Angeles, an MPhil in international relations from Oxford University, and a BA in political science and history from the University of Pennsylvania.