Intelligence Collection & Homegrown Violent Extremism

Intelligence Collection & Homegrown Violent Extremism
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Introduction
Terrorism and violent extremism have been one of the most unending problems facing the world over the past several decades. They are just two heads of the same snake; in most cases, one often gives rise to the other. As the world continues coming up with ways to combat it, there seem to be new ways in which it rears its head once more. For a long time, the West has borne the brunt of terrorism. It seems as if the West, specifically the U.S., was the ultimate dream of every terrorist to attack. While the last major attack on American soil was back on 9/11, a new form of violent extremism has reared its head; homegrown violent extremism. This paper delves into a deep discussion of homegrown violent extremism and the efforts being made by the intelligence system to combat it.
Homegrown Violent Extremism
To understand homegrown violent extremism, it is important to first understand extremism. Extremism is the belief in any religious, social, economic, or political idea far from the mainstream (Newell,2021). It is the open and vocal rejection of the sociocultural norms of a given society. An extremist can oppose the rule of law, the diverse faiths and beliefs, and, generally, the way of life of a given country. A homegrown violent extremist, on the other hand, is an individual who exercises extremism against the country in which he was born and bred and still lives in a manner that physically threatens the citizens of that country (Canady, 2021).
The motivations for violent extremism stem from various things mainly hinged on ideologies. These include ideas on religion, the economy, ethnicity, the environment, and politics. A person might be so obsessed with any of these ideologies and have a lot of belief in them that they completely disregard a different school of thought from those around them. These ideologies can then push one to engage in forceful acts to advance themselves over the people, sometimes to detrimental effects (Pendley,2018). Extremists, therefore, oppose the right to free expression and might also oppose societal rules and do anything to prove their point.
Violent extremism usually undermines the general tranquillity and order within any given society or country. No country in the world is immune to violent extremism since this is an ideology, and an ideology always has a way of spreading amongst the populace (Khan & Yu,2019). It does not exclude any religion, culture, ethnicity, or social class. It cuts across the board. There has been a rather increased development of violent extremism worldwide, which has continued piling more humanitarian pressure on these regions. Millions have continued fleeing certain regions to avoid the harsh realities back home.
When it comes to homegrown violent extremism, there is nowhere to run. Homegrown extremists are right in the Western countries, often considered safe havens for those fleeing from other regions. Homegrown violent extremism has continued affecting Western nations such as the U.S.A for several reasons. First, the U.S. is known to have its homegrown group of violent extremists in the name of white supremacists. These are individuals who champion their hard-line racist agenda. Campos (2018) notes that white supremacists constitute the biggest chunk of homegrown violent extremists in the U.S. and continue to be a threat within its borders. Historically, these groups have been there, such as the KKK, which terrorized the population in the early part of the last century. Their ideology is that the nation needs to reclaim its 'sanctity' by eliminating anything they believe to be foreign. It might sound like a harmless narrative, but once the issues of economic troubles and the environment get mixed in, these individuals get enough justification for their extremist agenda.
Secondly, homegrown violent extremists can result from long-term systematic development. When some of these immigrants settle in the country and get kids, they usually have certain ideologies that they pass down to these children. Therefore, one grows up with a seed planted in them several years earlier, a seed that the parents carried along from their nations of origin. Such ideologies, therefore, get hold later on as the individual grows and only get strengthened during education. It, therefore, becomes a matter of time before it all explodes into something visible and dangerous to society.
Third, homegrown violent extremism can be a result of sympathizers from within the country who admire certain extremist ideologies. Much of the extremist ideologies have centered around religion, especially Islam. There are citizens within the country who might tend to admire and hence want to identify with such. For example, at the peak of ISIS, many American citizens joined the group due to accessing the group's extremist teachings and identifying with them (Bloom,2017). These citizens then take up these teachings and focus on actualizing them on American soil, thereby turning such extremist teachings into a more violent thing. There were various incidents during the peak of ISIS that pointed out homegrown terrorism right in the U.S.A. Some Americans found it 'cool' and hence attractive in the manner that ISIS conducted itself and the ideology behind it.
Finally, homegrown violent extremism can stem from a local populace that is disillusioned about the prevailing situation in society and the country (Armstrong et al.,2019). Frustration can be caused by anything, from joblessness to wrong career paths. When one is frustrated about certain things in society, one becomes an easy target for violent extremist ideas. This is because their frustration and anger act as the fuel that powers their embracement of such ideologies. The same anger also pushes them to engage in violence out of these ideologies. This perhaps explains why the youth are often the most common characters whenever there is a story about homegrown violent extremism. They constitute the biggest portion of the jobless and disillusioned in the country.
On the other hand, some narratives make people bitter and disillusioned. For example, unfulfilled promises of empowerment by the government, certain perceptions of injustice, and prolonged grievance narratives (Bender,2022). For instance, when people are promised by the government certain rights, and the government fails to honor its promise, such people might opt to do something so as to be felt or heard.
As can be seen, homegrown violent terrorism takes various forms, which clearly illustrates its ability to evolve (Dauber & Robinson, 2019) constantly. It poses the most serious threat to the nation’s security because, instead of the security systems focusing on potential external attacks, it also has to look from within. It is also worth noting that homegrown violent extremism doesn't come from anywhere. It is quite clear that there are serious potential reasons for it. There are causes fuelled by the individuals and others that are fuelled by the authorities in charge. The intelligence system has its work cut out when dealing with these challenges.
Identifying A Homegrown Violent Extremist
Homegrown violent extremists live right under the noses of the same people who would later get hurt by their eventual actions. They often go unnoticed, even by the authorities, until disaster strikes. Given that these individuals live right amongst the rest of the population, it is important to know when they become a homegrown violent extremist. It usually begins with a sudden change in conduct or behavior. One might become easily irritable, quick to anger, and sudden disrespect to...