Terror from the extreme right

In many countries, terrorism and political violence at the late 1980s and early 1990s have increasingly gravitated towards the extreme right, in the direction of racism and extreme nationalism. In most cases, violence and harassment are directed against ethnic or social minorities, such as immigrants, left-wing activists or homosexuals, but sometimes even the political establishment is defined as an enemy and a legitimate target of violence. What characterizes the ideologies and world-views of right-wing extremist groups? Whom do they see as their main 'enemies', and what kinds of threats are these enemies perceived to represent? How do militant activists relate to the state, the established power structures, and wider political movements? How, and under what circumstances, do aggressive ideology and rhetoric translate into actual violence and terrorism? In this first general and comparative volume with a focus on right-wing terrorism across the world, ten leading experts address these questions. Case studies focus on militant groups in North America, South Africa, Japan, Italy, Germany, and the Scandinavian countries. The findings throw a fascinating light on the international dimensions at right-wing extremism, and how racist ideologies travel and combine with other conceptions. The authors have also made important observations on the relationship between ideological organizations and the less unorganized groups which often carry out most of the actual violence. Other findings relate to the relationship between criminal behaviour and political violence, and to the social background of the perpetrators. The book gives new insight into the radicalization processes which produce right-wing extremist violence. Equally important, however, is the emphasis on factors and circumstances which might serve to restrain militant groups from following their extremist ideas to their ultimate violent conclusions.