Right-Wing Group Characteristics and Ideology

Abstract

Following the September 11, 2001, World Trade Center attack, our national attention was focused on Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda, and other radical Islamic extremists. On April 19, 1995, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was bombed by a native-born white male United States citizen who harbored right-wing extremist beliefs. While our collective consciousness prioritizes radical Islamists as the preeminent threat, should individuals and groups that encompass the radical right be viewed as having a reduced capacity to perform acts of terrorism? What future trends will be adopted by the radical right? How could these trends lead to an escalation of the threat posed by right-wing extremists? What can be done to reduce the threat of terrorism perpetrated by right-wing adherents? Before offering an answer to these questions, we should establish a knowledge baseline to understand the history, key figures, and beliefs of right-wing extremist groups in the United States. The specific ideology of right-wing extremism is frequently difficult to define because adherents have multiple and frequently simultaneous memberships in the array of right-wing groups. Many people involved in right-wing groups have come from other right-wing organizations and will likely move on to other groups as their beliefs change.

Published in Homeland Security Affairs, v2 n2, p1-19, Jul 2006.