The Contextual Nature of Right-Wing Terrorism across Nations

Community Violence and Support for Violent Extremism: Evidence From the Sahel

“…Extremist support is most prevalent not only among certain kinds of individuals, such as the young and those less trustful of political institutions, but also in certain kinds of communities, in particular those reporting extensive exposure to violence. The study thus contributes to an emerging body of research that looks beyond the individual level to examine the contextual determinants of terrorism, extremism, and other conflict‐oriented outcomes (e.g., Doering & Davies, 2019; Hirsch‐Hoefler et al., 2014; McCauley, Finkel, Neureiter, & Belasco, in press; Vijaya et al., 2018). Second, the results provide additional evidence for the ongoing debate about the consequences of violence for communities and for individuals.…”

“…In these contexts—where the current study is focused—it is by no means clear that violence will dampen support for extremism. High levels of violence may reflect more general levels of social disorganization, such that communities are “unable to regulate activity among individuals…[and] unable to work together to solve problems…[which] results in increased opportunities for anti‐social behaviors, including engaging in politically motivated violence” (Doering & Davies, 2019, pp. 2–3).…”

“…Model (2) separates the effects of the x ijt into two orthogonal components: the “within” commune effect , or the impact on extremism of individual deviations from the commune‐year average on x ijt , and the “between” commune effect , which characterizes differences in the commune‐year averages on average levels of extremism across communes (Fairbrother, 2014). The thus serve as additional commune‐year contextual controls—that is, commune‐year levels of unemployment, education, wealth, and the like—in the estimation of the effect of the community violence variable v jt (as in Doering & Davies, 2019; Vijaya, Wilent, Cathcart, & Fiorelli, 2018).…”

Examining the Impact of the Obama and Trump Candidacies on Right-Wing Domestic Terrorism in the United States: A Time-Series Analysis

“…In contrast, the ideological underpinnings of white supremacist movements are tied to the superiority and preservation of the so-called Aryan race. White supremacist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), Christian Identity, Aryan Brotherhood, American Front, and Hammerskins generally espouse racist ideology, including race-based segregation and genocide, and exhibit xenophobic tendencies (Doering & Davies, 2019; Taylor, 2019). At the time of this writing, the SPLC (2020) had identified more than 300 groups with such leanings operating within the U.S., with large concentrations in the South, as well as Eastern and Western seaboards.…”

“…It is well established among terrorism researchers that right-wing extremist ideologies are broadly grounded in White supremacy and anti-government sentiment (Chermak & Gruenewald, 2006; Doering & Davies, 2019; Piazza, 2020; Seegmiller, 2007). Furthermore, right-wing extremism continues to represent a clear and present danger to the safety and security of the United States (Berger, 2016b; Gardell, 2003; McCooey, 2012; SPLC, 2020).…”