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INTRODUCTION TO THE ARTICLES

The study of homeland security is a challenging field of study that requires experts, students, and members of society to understand the underlying reasons for the creation of homeland security systems, as well as the configuration of these systems.  Those who examine homeland security must necessarily study data and theories grounded from a variety of disciplines, including political science, public administration, and the administration of justice.

Federal, state, and local authorities are perennially challenged by the problem of designing homeland security systems which reflect threats emanating from the current terrorist environment.  These challenges are not new, and have historically posed very serious policy questions for all sectors of society.  Unfortunately, these are challenges that are not easily resolved, and which will continue to be at the center of domestic policy.. The possibility of political violence is an unresolved problem, and exists across the nation.  There are no ideal political, national, or social solutions that guarantee immunity from the possibility of being touched by terrorist violence. 

The purpose of this online resource is to stimulate critical discussion about the attributes of homeland security systems and terrorist environments.  This resource is organized into thematic parts which correspond to the textbook’s chapters.  Articles have been selected from reputable scholarly journals, and additional articles are recommended for further study.

TEN CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS

• Does a central cause exist which explains the creation of homeland security environments?
   
• Is it possible to accurately predict the likelihood of terrorist violence?
   
• What are the policy implications of research that indicates an association between homeland security measures and civil liberty challenges?
   
• Do homeland security measures effectively reduce the incidence of terrorism?
   
• Are particular levels of authority within the homeland security enterprise more effective in managing terrorist environments?
   
• Are innovations such as target hardening effective?
   
• How popular is the current homeland security enterprise?  What explains different public opinions in different regions?
   
• What are some of the challenges faced by reformers who sincerely seek to reduce the extent of the homeland security enterprise in order to preserve civil liberty?
   
• How important are international legal institutions and conventions for preventing terrorist violence?
   
• Has enough research been conducted on the sociological and psychological impact of a pervasive homeland security environment?
   

CHAPTER 8.  The Threat at Home: Domestic Terrorism

Randy Blazak reports research on the targeted recruitment of youths by American hate groups.  Carl Davidson and Jerry Harris examine the rise of the so-called Christian Right and tendencies within the movement.  Christian Erickson assesses themes presented in American popular culture on the topic of terrorism.  Research on the extremist right wing is presented by Raphael Ezekiel, including discussions of their tactics and ideologies.  Garland and Simi assess the use of civil litigation to suppress white supremacist violence.  Gruenwald compares homicides perpetrated by far-right extremists and other homicides in the United States.  Examining the case of U.S. neo-Nazi subcultures, Mark Hamm discusses subcultural conditions which make terrorism possible.  Michael Israel’s article explores the ideological concept of free speech within the context of “assaultive” speech that offers little value to social discourse.  Research on the effect of online hate group activity on adolescents is discussed by Elissa Lee and Laura Leets.  Brian Levin discusses the origin and current state of Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism in the United States.  An ideological perspective of 9/11—in this case, a Marxist perspective—is offered by Peter McLaren.  The ideology and membership of the modern militia movement are evaluated by Mark Pitcavage.  Tanya Sharpe examines the potentiality of terrorist violence emanating from adherents of the Christian Identity movement.

Blazak, Randy.  “White Boys to Terrorist Men: Target Recruitment of Nazi Skinheads.”  In American Behavioral Scientist, 44:6 (February 2001).

Davidson, Carl and Jerry Harris.  “Globalisation, Theocracy and the New Fascism: The US Right’s Rise to Power.”  In Race & Class, 47:3 (2006).

Erickson, Christian W.  “Counter-Terror Culture: Ambiguity, Subversion, or Legitimization?”  In Security Dialogue, 38:2 (2007).

Ezekiel, Raphael S.  “An Ethnographer Looks at Neo-Nazi and Klan Groups: The Racist Mind Revisited.”  In American Behavioral Scientist, 46:1 (September 2002).

Garland, Brett and Pete Simi.  “A Critique of Using Civil Litigation to Suppress White Supremacist Violence.”  In Criminal Justice Review, vol. 36 (December 2011).

Hamm, Mark S.  “Apocalyptic Violence: The Seduction of Terrorist Subcultures.”  Theoretical Criminology, 8:3 (2004).

Israel, Michael.  “Hate Speech and the First Amendment.”  In Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 15:1 (February 1999).

Lee, Elissa and Laura Leets.  “Persuasive Storytelling by Hate Groups Online: Examining its Effects on Adolescents.”  In American Behavioral Scientist, 45:6 (February 2002).

Levin, Brian.  “History as a Weapon: How Extremists Deny the Holocaust in North America.”  In American Behavioral Scientist, 44:6 (February 2001).

McLaren, Peter.  “The Dialectics of Terrorism: A Marxist Response to September 11 (Part Two: Unveiling the Past, Evading the Present).”  In Cultural Studies ß à Critical Methodologies, 3:1 (2003).

Pitcavage, Mark.  “Camoulflage and Conspiracy: The Militia Movement from Ruby Ridge to Y2K.”  In American Behavioral Scientist, 44:6 (February 2001).

Sharpe, Tanya Telfair.  “The Identity Christian Movement: Ideology of Domestic Terrorism.”  Journal of Black Studies, 30:4 (March 2000).