Terrorism has become a serious and broad issue for the security of the United States since the 9/11 attacks. Foreign terrorist organizations create a hazard of international terrorism and represent a challenging problem as they obtain significant financial resources and power (FBI, n.d.). At the same time, there is a growing issue of domestic terrorism, defined as crimes committed based on domestic influences of a “political, religious, social, racial, or environmental” nature (FBI, n.d.). Although international terrorist organizations have undermined security in the United States, domestic terrorism appears to be the most dangerous element due to its growing tendencies and unexpected expansion.
Many domestic crimes in the United States raise concerns regarding their definition as terroristic. For instance, the absence of a political element in the crime often hinders defining it as a terrorist act, but researchers argue that such crimes as mass shootings should be referred to as terrorism (Hunter, Ginn, Storyllewellyn, & Rutland, 2020). Mass shootings display the tendency to continue and have become a significant threat to American society. They also correspond to the criterion of creating fear in people, which refers to the definition of terrorism (Hunter, Ginn, Storyllewellyn, & Rutland, 2020). Therefore, mass shootings can be considered a dangerous terrorist element undermining the security of civilians.
Hence, the expansion of social media has contributed to the growing threat of conspiracy theories that inform people’s behaviors. The recent case with the 3N conspiracy theory demonstrates the effects of radicalization and growing violence among individuals who believe in conspiracy ideas (Kruglanski, Molinario, Ellenberg, & Di Cicco, 2022). The robust spread of such theories on social media creates a danger because people who believe in them can ridicule instantly and apply terrorist methods against “an alleged enemy” (Kruglanski, Molinario, Ellenberg, & Di Cicco, 2022). Consequently, the emergence and influence of such issues are challenging to predict, which makes conspiracy-driven radicalization a dangerous terroristic element.
Overall, such terroristic elements as mass shootings and social radicalization induced by conspiracy theories appear to be the most dangerous terrorist elements in the United States. Although many of these crimes are not officially defined as terrorism, they fit the definition by various criteria and increase the level of fear within society. Continued mass shootings and unexpected tendencies on social media create a significant challenge for state security and social well-being.
References
FBI. (n.d.). Terrorism. FBI. Web.
Hunter, L. Y., Ginn, M. H., Storyllewellyn, S., & Rutland, J. (2020). Are mass shootings acts of terror? Applying key criteria in definitions of terrorism to mass shootings in the United States from 1982 to 2018. Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression, 13(4), 265–294. Web.
Kruglanski, A. W., Molinario, E., Ellenberg, M., & Di Cicco, G. (2022). Terrorism and conspiracy theories: A view from the 3N model of radicalization. Current Opinion in Psychology, 47, 101396. Web.