‘The Most Persistent and Lethal Threat’

For years, security experts have warned that white nationalist and white supremacist extremism represent the most significant domestic terrorism threat to the United States. Now, in the wake of the attack on the U.S. Capitol, the country seems to be gaining clarity about the seriousness of the situation for the first time. How did we get here, and what can be done?

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Host
  • Gabrielle Sierra
    Director, Podcasting
Credits

Asher Ross - Supervising Producer

Markus Zakaria - Audio Producer and Sound Designer

Rafaela Siewert - Associate Podcast Producer

Episode Guests
  • Bruce Hoffman
    Shelby Cullom and Kathryn W. Davis Senior Fellow for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security
  • Cynthia Miller-Idriss
    Professor, School of Public Affairs and School of Education, American University

Show Notes

Experts agree that the danger of white nationalist and white supremacist extremism has significantly outpaced Islamist extremism as a threat to U.S. national security in recent years. Now, under a new presidential administration, the problem could finally receive resources and focus in line with its seriousness. But fighting back will be challenging, not least because the threat is diffuse, widespread, and hard to track. 

 

White nationalism and white supremacism aren’t new, but they have taken on new dimensions in the age of social media. In this episode, two expert guests examine the roots of these ideologies, their evolution, their transnational nature, and the outlook for combating these issues in the years to come. 

 

CFR Resources

 

The Changing Landscape of Domestic Terrorism, With Bruce Hoffman,” The President’s Inbox

 

Pro-Trump Mob Breaches U.S. Capitol, Georgia’s New Senators, and More,” The World Next Week

 

CFR Master Class Series With Bruce Hoffman,” Bruce Hoffman 

 

Domestic Terrorism Strikes U.S. Capitol, and Democracy,” Bruce Hoffman 

 

Right-Wing Extremists: A Looming Threat to the U.S. Election,” Bruce Hoffman 

 

From the Arab Spring to the American Winter: Cyberspace and Democracy After the Insurrection,” David P. Fidler

 

The Day the Internet Came for Them: Washington Wakes Up to the Dark Reality of Online Disinformation,” Nina Jankowicz, Foreign Affairs

 

From Cynthia Miller-Idriss

 

When the Far Right Penetrates Law Enforcement: America Can Learn From Germany’s Response,” Foreign Affairs

 

Capitol attack was an epiphany for the far right. It better be one for the rest of us, too,” Boston Globe

 

Women are joining the far right – we need to understand why,” Guardian 

 

Read More

 

Three key factors that drive far-right political violence — and two that don’t,” Washington Post

 

It Really Is Different This Time,” Politico

 

What happened in Washington DC is happening around the world,” Guardian

 

Fringe groups splinter online after Facebook and Twitter bans,” New York Times

 

Millions Flock to Telegram and Signal as Fears Grow Over Big Tech,” New York Times

 

Conspiracy theorists, far-right extremists around the world seize on the pandemic,” Politico

 

‘Nothing can stop what’s coming’: Far-right forums that fomented Capitol riots voice glee in aftermath,” Washington Post

 

A Domestic Terrorism Law Can’t Solve Right-Wing Violence,” New York Magazine 

 

Decoding the Far-Right Symbols at the Capitol Riot,” New York Times

 

A Trump Ban Is Easy. Fixing Facebook and Twitter Will Be Hard,” Wired

 

For Far-Right Movements, Ashli Babbitt Is Now a ‘Rallying Cry’,” New York Times

 

What Is QAnon? What We Know About the Conspiracy-Theory Group,” Wall Street Journal

 

Who Are the Proud Boys? The Group Trump Told to ‘Stand Back and Stand By’,” Wall Street Journal

 

4 First Steps for Congress To Address White Supremacist Terrorism,” Center for American Progress

 

How White Supremacy Returned to Mainstream Politics,” Center for American Progress

 

The Rise of Far-Right Extremism in the United States,” Center for Strategic and International Studies

 

Capitol Riot Puts Spotlight on ‘Apocalyptically Minded’ Global Far Right,” New York Times

 

Biden’s Vital but Fraught Battle Against Domestic Terrorism,” New Yorker

 

Nearly 1 In 5 Defendants In Capitol Riot Cases Served In The Military,” NPR

 

Republican Ties to Extremist Groups Are Under Scrutiny,” New York Times

 

Watch and Listen

 

If You Were on Parler, You Saw the Mob Coming,” Sway

 

The people behind the insurrection,” Today, Explained

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