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Literature Review
Research suggests that both far-right extremist groups and far-left extremist groups are
dangerous, though one might pose more danger of domestic terrorism than the other (Fischel,
2020). According to Chermak et al (2013), far-right extremist groups pose significant threats to
America. Similar notions are presented by a 2019 report by Homeland Security who appreciate
that threats to the country have evolved. According to the report, “White supremacist violent
extremism, one type of racially-and ethnically- motivated violent extremism, is one of the most
potent forces driving domestic terrorism” (McAleenan, 2019, p.10). The report goes ahead and
compares these groups to ISIS, and highlights how like-minded they are to each other, driven by
notions of doing the right thing. The department of Homeland Security has provided examples of
well-known cases of white supremacists and how they signify terrorism with misdirected
agendas. An example of a well-known white extremist attack was conducted by Anders Breivik
in Norway in July 2011, which cost the lives of 77 people (McAleenan, 2019). A subsequent
attack was conducted on March 15, 2019, by another extremist after the first action was praised.
Yet another attack followed the second in Texas, where 22 people were killed and 26 wounded
(McAleenan, 2019). The report goes on to give more examples of the prevalence of white
supremacism and how costly it has been to the country’s national security.
The report by McAleenan (2019) highlights how white supremacists praise Muslim
extremist groups and any action of a similar nature. Similar findings are derived from the
research by Etter (2003), who claims that attacks by Al Qaeda were largely praised by “many
white supremacist groups, including the head of the American Nazi Party” (p.1). Etter (2003)
appreciates that these groups have increased their prevalence and they are alarmingly attracting
new members who seek to oppose the government and its policies, who, according to Etter
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(2003), “feel that the normal channels of government bare ineffectively and that change can
better be brought by revolutionary conflict or violence” (p.2). Therefore, in many ways, these
groups demonstrate terrorist-like traits that pose significant challenges for the country.
Consistent with the research by Etter (2003), Lewis et al (2020) claim that the influence
of these groups has increased in recent years and is likely to do so if something is not done to
mitigate these groups. In the research by Lewis et al (2020), in less than two months, about a
dozen Americans had been arrested in connection to these groups. The author even quotes an
Assistant District Attorney to prove that white supremacism is among the most dominant forms
of domestic terrorism by claiming that “Basically, they’re domestic terrorists. That’s why we're
here” (Lewis et al, 2020, p.3). The research by Lewis et al (2020) goes ahead and provides
examples of the most dominant white supremacist groups, including
The Base
and
Atomwaffen
Division
. Other authors like Ware (2020) have shown concern regarding the increasing violent
measures taken by the far-right extremists in their manifestos that are akin to those of terrorists.
Similar to Etter (2003) and Lewis et al (2020), Ware (2020) links the manifestos by the far-right
extremists to those of terrorists, highlighting the most dominant features as an increased
emphasis on “race, Europe, the political climate, and the portrayal of an act of terrorism as self-
defense and as a last resort” (p.4). It seems, therefore, that most research supports the idea that
white supremacism is an increasing national concern that demands immediate attention, seeing
that it has resulted in increased membership and, consequently, increased violence.
However, though research by Lewis et al (2020) and the report by McAleenan (2019)
highlight increased government action against white supremacists, this idea does not suffice
according to Simi (2010). In his research, Simi (2010) claims that the neglect of white
supremacists is one of the causes of their dominance in the country. Contrary to the report by the
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McAleenan (2019), Simi (2010) posits that “Although white supremacists are highly stigmatized,
they are not necessarily viewed as a significant terrorist threat” (p.254-255). Additionally, his
claims are quite different from those of scholars like Ware (2020), Lewis et al (2020), and Etter
(2003), seeing that he claims that most extremists are not terrorists because they do not explicitly
plan or partake in terrorism. According to the author, extremism relates more to behavior than
terrorism, especially when looking at these groups from an “adherence to beliefs” perspective.
Though research by Etter (2003), Lewis et al. (2020), and Ware (2020) link white
supremacism to being among the most dominant domestic terrorist threats, black extremism
presents almost similar threats. According to a news report by the Washington Post, this group's
prevalence and tactics have only increased and become more ruthless than before. In the report,
cases are provided that highlight the threats posed by black nationalist groups, an example being
a recent attack by Micah Xavier Johnson, who murdered five police officers in Dallas (Sullivan,
2016). Another black nationalist group member was Gavin Eugene Long, who according to
Sullivan (2016), murdered three officers in Baton Rouge. In the report, it was indicated that as of
2016, the number of black nationalist groups increased to 180 from 113. The report also
highlights that these groups have risen in response to increased racism against black people,
similar to claims by Kelly (2019) who adds that black nationalist groups rose because of unmet
goals of the black nation-state. However, unlike Sullivan (2016), rather than criticize these acts,
Kelly (2019) justifies black nationalism by highlighting the racial inequality, unemployment, and
limited access to education and healthcare against the black people. However, his research
underscores that extremism exists because of the hate each side has for the other, with those on
the right hating those on the left, and those on the left hating those on the right. Such hate is
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credited to the cultural divide that was once witnessed between the native Americans and the
Americans (Kelly, 2019).
Though the research by Carey Jr (2013) does not explicitly state its position in terms of
black nationalism, it does explore the positive attributes it has had on the black community. In
this research, Carey Jr (2013) has explored the two different types of black nationalism and
political participation in the concepts of community nationalism and separatist nationalism.
These concepts highlight the philosophical and political outlooks of black nationalists and,
possibly, explain their extremist components. According to Carey Jr (2013), “Community
nationalism reflects black's desire to gain greater control over their communities by working
within the American political and economic systems” (p.67). However, “separatist nationalism
challenges and, in some cases, rejects the legitimacy of the American political process” (Carey
Jr, 2013, p.68). From these views, it seems that black nationalist extremists incline more towards
separationist nationalism than they do community nationalism.
White Supremacism
The prevalence of white supremacist movements and black nationalist extremist groups
has increased concern among the public. For instance, “more states reported the presence of far-
right militia groups (92%), neo-Nazis (89%), and racist skinheads (89%) in their jurisdictions
than Jihadi extremists groups (65%) (SMART, 2011, p.2). On the other hand, black nationalist
extremists have increased across the country, with 233 chapters being noted in 2017, compared
to 2016 where 193 chapters were recorded (Sidner & Simon, 2018).
White supremacist groups are known for their acts that propagate racism, hatred, and
violence. Its beginnings can be traced back to the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in 1865. These groups
5
have often been arrested in association with multiple crimes aimed at furthering their agendas.
Some of these crimes include racketeering, a solicitation to commit crimes of violence, use of
explosives, and possession and use of firearms. White supremacists claim that violence is the
only way through which an idealized community can be achieved, regardless of the group
towards which this violence is directed, whether based on individualistic traits, pseudo-
nationalism, or race (Youngblood, 2020). However, though white supremacists claim to have the
best interest of the country, their notions can be considered backward and misrepresented.
Indeed, rather than doing what promotes nationalism as they purport, their actions seem to be
oriented towards empowering the whites over all other races. White extremist notions have often
been linked to radicalization, which according to Youngblood (2020), “appears to be a process in
which individuals are destabilized by various environmental factors, exposed to extremist
ideology, and subsequently reinforced by members of their community” (p.2). Thus, white
supremacists are not as self-righteous as they claim to be, seeing that their ideologies are based
on pre-established constraints in society. It can be argued, therefore, that their notions are an
attempt to make up for some of the things they lack in community, or, rather, to compound pre-
established hatred towards those that seem different from them. Their political ideologies, in this
case, seem like an attempt to justify their actions, though their ideologies are misdirected and
centered on disregard for what is different.
Black Nationalism Extremists
On the far end, there are the black nationalist extremists. This far-left extremist group is
said to have risen as a response to the long injustices directed against the black people. However,
it is worth noting that black nationalism initially rose to address the issues of racism and
injustices and maintained a rather political and philosophical perspective of the issue. Thus,
6
black nationalism is not a bad thing but, rather, the extremist part of it, which is not always the
case. Similarly to white supremacists, some black nationalists maintain non-violence approaches
to societal issues. Indeed, there are prominent socio-political movements that have arisen
because of black nationalism (Carey Jr, 2013). In this case, it is imperative to view concepts
associated with black nationalism such as community and separatist nationalism. While the
former inclines on partaking in the government and using its policies to promote the affairs of
black people, the latter disregards the government and seeks control over its own (Carey, 2013).
Thus, from the present understanding of the far-right extremist group, the latter philosophy on
separatist nationalism seems to suffice. As noted thus far, far-right extremist groups are
motivated by the need to rise above the injustices and societal inequalities, and it mostly regards
the minority. “The marginalization of black and Latino youth motivated street gangs to
incorporate a political ideology as an attempt to grow grassroots movements fighting for political
power and producing positive social change within the neglected communities” (Reid & Valasik,
2018, p.5). Thus, extremist groups associated with black nationalism justify themselves based on
their need to stand up for themselves.
White Supremacists Vs Black Nationalism Extremists
Though both white supremacists and black nationalist extremists justify themselves based
on socio-political needs, their methods of achieving their goals are extremely violent and, to
some level, inhumane. Hundreds of lives have been lost in what can be referred to as conflicts
and counter conflicts between the far-right extremists and the far-left extremists. For instance,
white supremacists are linked to over 330 homicides in the last two decades (SMART, 2011). On
the other hand, the black nationalist extremist groups are associated with significantly smaller
killings. However, they too, like white supremacists result in violence in response to injustices.
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An example of such scenarios is when five and three police officers were respectively killed in
Dallas and Baton Rouge (Sullivan, 2016). Such actions have resulted in extreme racial tension as
each group retaliates whenever they feel offended by the other. Another similarity between the
two groups is their constant opposition to the government and its policies. They believe that they
are correcting the injustices within the government and would rather do without the government
than adhere to propositions and policies that go against their beliefs. As such, they resort to
violence in retaliation. Another difference between the two groups comes from their origins.
While the white supremacist movements are linked back to the KKK, it can be argued that
Malcolm X and his philosophies had a significant impact on the development of black
nationalism (Fleming, 2008). Malcolm X was a nationalist who challenges the doctrine of non-
violence in seeking social equality and African-American rights. Nevertheless, despite the
differences in origins and course, both groups have had a significant influence on the nation’s
security, attributing to a significant rise in domestic terrorism.
Analysis and Findings
From the available information concerning the white supremacist groups and the black
nationalism extremists, it seems that the problem lays within their misdirected notions of what
constitutes social justice and the methods of obtaining it. Indeed, both groups have justifications
for their actions, most of which are inconsistent and somehow wrong when viewed from a moral
and logical perspective. For starters, it does not make sense that white supremacists opt to take
matters into their hands and “correct” society. Though they claim that their interests are to the
country and making it right, their reasoning is not right. Their agendas are compounded and
founded upon racists views and hate for the minority. It can be said that they are disinclined to
what is different from theirs, which makes it easy for them to perpetrate such actions. As has
8
been noted, most white supremacists have backgrounds that suggest a reason to act out against
society. The communities they live in are ridden with backward notions of the supremacy of
white people's above all races, thus increasing their need to maintain their power over every
other person.
The findings indicate that there is no righteousness in the ideologies spread by both
groups and that their acts are terrorist-like. There are characteristics associated with terrorism
that are self-evident within this group. For starters, terrorists are known to resort to violence or
threaten its use as they seek the fulfillment of some social, political, or religious purposes.
Regarding white supremacists and black nationalism extremists, this trait is evident in the
number of violent cases associated with this group. Violence is their major driver and these
groups believe that it is the only way through which an “ideal” society can be created. This
characteristic is proven in the research that indicates the loss of thousands of lives through
homicide and sabotage by both groups as they seek to fulfill their objectives. Also, the acts by
both groups are terrorists in that they reach more than the targeted audience. That is, the act
affects those that can be considered “innocent” in the eyes of the extremists. Another trait that
makes them terrorists is that these acts are performed by non-state entities. They are actors who
act on their own without the authorization or influence from the government. Rather, they act
against the government, claiming it to be insufficient in meeting its objectives. Additionally, the
acts they commit are
mala prohibitia
, meaning that they are both illegal in the eyes of the law
and immoral.
Conclusion
Indeed, white supremacists and black nationalism extremists are terrorist groups that have
increased the social unrest in the country and, arguably, the entire world. Both groups have their
9
justifications and course that attempt to explain their significance in society and why they are a
necessary force. The lives of the innocent have been lost because of these two groups as they
seek to meet their agendas.
Regarding the white supremacists, these justifications are misaligned, misdirected,
misinformed, and certainly wrong. Their philosophies and ideologies are based on racist and
ethnic biases that present them as the superior race charged with the responsibility of correcting
the society. Based on these factors, it is clear that their agendas are subjective and, contrary to
their claims, are directed to serving their interests and not the society.
Though one might be inclined to side with the black nationalism extremists, they are not
innocent in this matter. It seems justifiable that these movements are based on the need to rise
against social injustices against black people. However, the methods by which they seek justice
are not moral, and neither are they right. They too, like white supremacists, justify their actions
based on some social deprivations that may be beyond anyone’s control. Lives have been lost in
a conflict that neither party wants to end because of their need to rise above the other. There are
better ways by which these entities can seek the justice they need. It is not up to them to take
matters into their own hands, especially considering that their actions have major implications on
the people they supposedly seek to protect. Lives that are not worth losing have been lost
because of this group's inability to go through the due process to seek justice. Regardless of the
justifications by each group, no cause justifies terrorism.
These issues are unlikely to go away soon if the government does not take due actions. In
this case, stringent measures and legislation have to be developed to discourage these acts.
Additionally, the government needs to solve the social inequalities that create room for extremist
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views. Some of these issues include unemployment, police brutality, racial discrimination, and
poverty. Solving these issues will mitigate the risk factors associated with extremist ideals.
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