Monopolies On Fanaticism: Constructions Of Terrorism In History And Analysis Of Post-9/11 Domestic Terrorism In The United States

This thesis explores how terrorism has been socially, politically, and historically constructed since its genesis in Jewish resistance to Roman occupation in 1st century AD. The first chapter provides a brief review of various shifts in terrorism to prove that terror is ever-shifting based on its milieu. The second chapter builds off of these shifts to explore the policy consequences of how U.S. policymakers currently construct and define terrorism. Beginning in the 1990s, terrorism became synonymous with Islam and this association was cemented by the events of 9/11. This tendency to link Islam with terrorism has had profound consequences, from a series of wars costing $5.6 trillion to half a million people dead. But after 17 years, the War on Terror has ushered in a period of endless war for the United States. The U.S.’s policy on terrorism is misdirected and based on fear of the Other costing the country international credibility, money, lives, and the integrity of various domestic institutions. Redirection and clear strategy is needed to address the more pervasive terror threat in this country, far-right and white supremacist groups, who committed 49.2% of the 65 terrorist incidents in 2017 versus the 9.2% attributed to Muslim extremists.