Homegrown Terrorism Inside of Democratic States
Abstract
This thesis examines the London bombings in 2005 by Islamist homegrown terrorists, the Murrah building attack in 1995 by Timothy McVeigh, and the Tokyo subway attack in 1995 by the Japanese terrorist religious cult Aum Shinrikyo. The primary research question is as follows: Are there aspects of democracies that shield homegrown terrorism from detection? The recent conflict in Iraq and the current conflict in Afghanistan have given rise to a perception amongst some areas of Western society that all terrorism is based on Islamic ideology. Conjecture in the media and political rhetoric when discussing conflicts suggest that terrorism is a product of religious radicalization of Islam coupled with a failed state apparatus that cannot support a common rule of law. Given the experiences of homegrown terrorists executing attacks in the Tokyo subway, Oklahoma City, and London, what aspects of democracy, individual conditions, and individual psychology allowed them to commit these acts against their own nation states? The subordinate research questions are as follows: What were the origins of the groups and individuals that were involved in the incidents in Oklahoma, London, and Tokyo?; How much influence do external factors have over an individual's involvement in a terrorist act?; and Do democracies need to change to reflect a terrorist threat? The analysis is conducted using the United Nations definition of human rights.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 14, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA569742
Entities
People
- Warwick S. Miller
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College