Global Incidents and Domestic Threats: The Counterterrorism Challenges of the Modern Triggers of Domestic Extremism

• In Event: Characterizing and Preventing Domestic Terrorism: A Mixed-Methods Study of Far-Right Extremist Incidents and Perpetrators

Abstract

One of the more concerning phenomena of the last few years is the growing convergence of international and foreign conflicts with campaigns of domestic extremism in the US and other Western democracies. The current conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas triggered increases in Antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes in the US and Europe. Similarly, conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan and Af-Pak region also seem to trigger acts of political violence in various Western countries. The current research identifies the specific conflict-related factors which facilitate the spread of conflicts into other countries and diaspora communities. Additionally, we identify how the organization, size and social characteristics of diaspora communities may be associated with such phenomenon. Lastly, the paper discusses the specific challenges policy makers and law enforcement face in addressing this unique variation of violent domestic extremism.

Author

• Arie L. Perliger, University of Massachusetts Lowell