Chapter 12
Summary by James R. Martin, Ph.D., CMA
Professor Emeritus, University of South Florida
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Chapter 12: Formulating Policy Responses to the Right-Wing Threat by Cynthia Miller-Idriss
Far-right extremism has increased in the U.S. and globally over the past few years in three overlapping phases including a growth in extremist groups and ideologies, a period of mainstreaming and normalization, and significant mobilization to violence. After the first Black U.S. president was elected in 2008 a number of hate groups were developed including movements like the Oathkeepers and Three Percenters. This was followed by several years of normalization, mainstreaming, and perceived legitimation of the far right with the help of president Donald Trump who endorsed their beliefs. An increase in right-wing terrorist violence started around 2018 (e.g., at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue, and an El Paso Texas Wal-Mart), and this was followed by significant policy changes at the federal, state, and local levels in the U.S. to improve the recognition and responses to the threat of far-right violence. This chapter provides a discussion of the challenges and possibilities in developing policy responses to the threats from a variety of groups including white supremacist, anti-government extremist, and more broadly far-right extremist in general.
The Nature of the Threat
The author uses the term far-right extremism to include white supremacist extremism, anti-government extremism, male supremacist, incel violence, and single-issue extremist groups (e.g., anti-abortion). These groups share four elements including 1. anti-democratic beliefs and practices (authoritarianism, rejection of the rule of law and freedoms of the press, assembly, or speech), 2. hierarchical and dehumanizing beliefs about superiority and inferiority of different groups (e.g., Christian supremacy, male supremacy, heterosexual supremacy, or Western supremacy), 3. a conspiratorial and fantastical notion of sacred space, utopian future, or idealized past that can be restored, and 4. the use of violence for political and ideological goals usually in the form of terrorist acts. Anti-government extremism was significant during 2020 and 2021 from so-called patriot and unlawful militia groups. There were also increases in conspiracy theories (e.g., QAnon), in hate crimes against Asian Americans, and white supremacist and white nationalist propaganda from at least ten separate national alt-right, white supremacist, and neo-Nazi groups. In addition, there were record breaking gun sales in 2020 and nearly 200 mass shootings in the first five months of that year alone. The 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville helped mainstream the far right's dehumanizing and hierarchical ideology (e.g., "Jews will not replace us", and "white lives matter"). U.S. resources in the fight against terrorism have not adjusted adequately to meet these challenges. FBI officials indicated that 80 percent of their counterterrorism activities focused on international cases and only 20 percent on domestic terrorism.
Changes in Policy Responses
In 2020 the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's annual threat assessment noted that domestic extremism in general and white supremacist extremism more specifically were the most persistent and lethal threats facing the homeland. Several states in Western Europe, North America and Oceania now consider far-right extremism to be the fastest growing and most prominent domestic security threat that they face. The attack on the U.S. Capital on January 6, 2021 spurred further policy responses about the impact of fringe extremist group violence and the potential for large numbers of people to become radicalized and mobilized to violence through disinformation. The U.S. House bill to establish an investigative committee about the attacks was blocked by Republicans in Congress, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi established a House select committee to investigate the attacks instead. Their report had not been published when this chapter was written, but see Trump's Attack on Democracy for a summary of the committees final report.
Ongoing Policy Dilemmas
Far-right extremism is a growing and evolving global threat as evidenced by escalations in murders, violent attacks, hate crimes, thwarted attacks, arrest, and propaganda from white supremacist groups. Although there has been heavy investment in law enforcement, monitoring, infiltrating, and interrupting plots from groups and terrorist cells, policy makers are hampered by four intersecting challenges. 1. Far-right extremism is changing and evolving into individuals self-radicalizing online through exposure to propaganda that leads them to extreme beliefs and violent actions. Strategies based on formal groups and organizations do not work well against extremist mobilization that occurs through disinformation on social media. Fighting propaganda is more difficult logistically and runs into free speech and privacy concerns. 2. There are definition challenges where the various departments define categories in different ways, and some extremism is not included in any category such as misogynistic hate or misogyny. 3. Policy makers have struggled to respond to intersectional far-right extremism. The intersection of misogyny and gender-based violence provides one example, but there are others like far-right terror based on environmental and climate change described as eco-fascism. This problem occurs where dwindling natural resources are claimed by native or white populations. 4. Policy makers struggle to find responses to terrorism and extremism that do not fit into the usual law enforcement, security, and intelligence approaches. For example prevention can be approached in many ways from a focus on bystander intervention training to programs that can prevent or interrupt paths toward radicalization and violent extremism. However, the US response has been focused on enhancing resources for law enforcement rather than educational and preventive approaches that address youth vulnerabilities to extremist propaganda.
Policy Recommendations
At the Federal level there is a need to improve interagency coordination and rethink the division between international and domestic terrorism. Improved national research and expertise is needed on whether problems in the military, veteran, and law enforcement communities reflect significant infiltration by the far right. Many current experts were trained in terrorism after the 9/11 Islamist attacks in 2001 but agencies need more expertise related to domestic far-right, white supremacist, and militia extremism in general. More experts are also needed in social work, mental health education, and youth engagement since young people are especially vulnerable to radicalization toward violent extremism. Far-right ideologies offer a sense of meaning, purpose, and a way to engage with others who seek to save the white race, or the nation from an imminent threat. The idea that far-right extremism is a domestic problem needs to be challenged since far-right extremist groups and ideologies are clearly a global movement. It is hierarchical and exclusionary, establishes clear lines of superiority by race, ethnicity, and nationality dehumanizing groups of people who are viewed as inferior.
Finally, policy makers need to figure out how to regulate the internet if that is possible. The rampant online spread of propaganda, disinformation, and conspiracy theories, and the lack of oversight make internet sites ideal places to incubate and radicalize individuals. It is an issue that must be addressed. There are three overlapping dystopian fantasy conspiracy theories: the Great Replacement, white genocide, and Eurabia. All three theories are based on a belief in an invasion of immigrants, Muslims, or Jews who will eradicate or replace white Christian Americans and Europeans. They have already inspired mass terrorist violence including the 2011 mass shooting in Norway, the murder of fifty-one Muslim worshipers in Christchurch, the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, and the 2022 Buffalo terrorist attack on Black Americans.
Conclusion
It is clear that the terrorist acts that have taken place so far, including the January 6 attack on the Capital are part of a broader and longer trajectory of violence from white supremacist and anti-government groups.
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Anonymous. 2019. A Warning: A Senior Trump Administration Official. Twelve: Hachette Book Group. (Summary).
Martin, J. R. Not dated. Policies of a Second Trump Presidency.
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