Defining the Far-Left and Environmental Movements: Introducing the LEAF Decision-Tree

• In Event: Under-explored Frontiers in Terrorism

Abstract

Collectively, research on terrorism and ideologically-motivated crime has inordinately focused on jihadist and far-right ideologies. Far fewer studies have examined the far-left and environmental movements, despite their role historically as one of the most frequent perpetrators of ideologically-driven crime in the United States. This research contends that one important barrier to this trajectory of research has been definitional. We present our own operationalization of far-left and environmentally-motivated crime through a multi-stage decision-tree. In an examination of over 70 datasets containing ideologically-motivated activity, we find a minority of incidents meet our threshold for what is truly far-left and environmental ideology.

Authors

• Jennifer Carson, University of Central Missouri

• Elizabeth Hilkemeyer, University of Central Missouri

• Marissa Kendrick, University of Central Missouri

• Najeeb Hourani, University of Central Missouri

• Cris Aguilar, University of Central Missouri

• McKulla Paszkiewicz, University of Central Missouri