Militarized Extremism: The Radical Right and the War on Terror

Abstract

This manuscript analyzes an important dynamic of far-right extremism in the United States. In particular, we seek to understand the relationship between the far-right and the military and how far-right groups have militarized. Using the 9/11 terror attacks and the subsequent war on terror as an event study, we explore how the actions of the military with respect to recruitment standards and deployment allowed for the progressive militarization of these extremists and their groups. We explore several channels through which the skills and tools developed as a part of the larger war on terror have come to be used by the far-right. These dynamics highlight an overlooked, yet important, cost of the war on terror.