HVE and Radicalization. Social Sciences Research Paper

HVE and Radicalization
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HVE and Radicalization
Homegrown extremism is a term that is used to define right-wing groups who have an anti-government belief, and they originate from within the United States. These are groups comprised of extremists who follow a specific ideology, and they also seek to attack the government using different weapons such as bombs. On the other hand, a terrorist is a term that refers to individuals or groups that commit violent acts, and they originate from foreign countries or are homegrown. Still, some follow ideals from international terrorist groups such as the Al-Qa’ida. Moreover, they also believe in violent Islamic ideologies and seek to commit harm or violence to the government or citizens (Morton & Silber, 2018). These groups are also known as Islamic terrorists and are linked to anti-capitalistic, anti-government, and other social and political movements. A differentiating factor between the two is that homegrown extremism arises from groups that have come up within the country, and terrorism is foreign-based. A majority of the homegrown terrorists are either lone actors or both. Some of them also follow foreign ideologues such as cases where Al-Qa’ida ideals inspire homegrown extremists.
On the other hand, terrorists are foreign-based, and they tend to have an international influence. They do not attack just a specific country, but all countries that are affiliated or follow particular ideals. For instance, the US and its allies, like the UK, have been attacked by terrorist groups like the Al-Qa’ida. The extremists often focus on their home country and do not attack foreign countries. These homegrown extremists can be a movement that follows the Christian Identity. For instance, some groups support the “seed-line” ideology, which suggests that Jews are the Devil’s offspring after he impregnates Eve (Baysinger, 2006). All individuals who are not white are viewed as “beasts in the field,” which was inspired by a passage in the bible located in Genesis 1:24 (Baysinger, 2006). The right-wing extremists who follow this ideology and they believe that they should expel, enslave, or kill all non-whites.
In contrast, terrorists can be homegrown or from foreign countries. These groups use, support, or justify violent acts as a means of achieving their economic, social, political, or ideological goals. They do not believe in exterminating specific individuals because they are not white. Instead, terrorists follow a belief that they need to commit acts of violence so that they can achieve their goals (Morton & Silber, 2018). Terrorism has also arisen due to globalization and improved communication, which has led to increased interaction between extremists and terrorist groups (Baysinger, 2006). Finally, a difference between the two is that even though extremists support violence, most of them do not commit such acts. The extremist groups comprise the radical right and include groups such as the Texas KKK (Baysinger, 2006). These groups have not been very violent over the years.
In contrast, terrorists are more violent, and individuals who have been radicalized are encouraged to commit terrorist acts. For instance, Rex (Gerhard) Lauck was a neo-Nazi leader of NSDAP/AO, a separatist group in Germany (Baysinger, 2006). He ordered acts of terrorism against officials who were making plans for the Olympics to be hosted in Berlin. The group did not want the Federal Republic of Germany to eclipse the sporting event hosted by the Third Reich before the second world war. Their efforts managed to discourage Germany from continuing with its plans to host the Olympics.
Radicalization Models
Radicalization is a process whereby a person becomes indoctrinated into an extremist or terrorist organization. These individuals’ beliefs, philosophies, ideals, and morals are then aligned with the specific group, and they become eager to participate in the activities that occur within the group. Several types of models can be used to understand this phenomenon, and they explain how the process of radicalization happens, and they have various similarities and differences. The Moghaddam radicalization model has many similarities with the NYPD radicalization model. The similarities arise from the second step of radicalization, whereby in both models, the individual begins to start following a particular ideology or belief. In the NYPD model, the second stage entails self-identification (Morton & Silber, 2018). This is where the person begins to form an identity due to changes that can be religious or personal, or due to an event. In the second level of the Moghaddam’s Staircase to terrorism, the person starts focusing their feelings and beliefs on a specific target (Moghaddam et al. 2016). During this phase, rather than focusing on the actual source of i...