When we think of terrorism, what probably comes to mind is the deadliest attacks of the new millennium: 9/11, Madrid, London, Mumbai, Paris. We think of groups like ISIS, Al-Shabaab, and Boko Haram. For most of the 21st Century, Islamist extremism has grabbed the headlines. Not so today.
In 2021, for the first time since 9/11, the FBI classified far-right extremism as a bigger threat inside the US than that posed by Islamic terror groups. In fact, since 9/11, racially-motivated extremists have killed more people in the US than Islamists. Violent far-right groups like Atomwaffen Division and Hammerskins have significant followings in Europe, North America, and Australasia.
Membership of these fringe groups has grown along with the popularity of mainstream far-right political parties, standing for election on anti-immigration, nationalist platforms. However, Western governments have done little to tackle their spread, hate speech, or the violent threat they pose.
In some cases, politicians have even supported the actions of far-right organisations, for example, Trump telling the Proud Boys – who were among the leaders of the US Capitol riots – to ‘stand by’ on national TV. Troublingly, serving law enforcement and military personnel are often among those identified as members of such groups.
While far-right terrorism might seem a world away from Islamic extremism, the two share more in common than you might think. Central to participation in each is the process of radicalisation: the development of an extreme ideology based on hatred of those who believe something different.
As a psychologist and former diplomat who has worked in conflict zones where people killed each other over their beliefs, I was fascinated by the psychological link between these two types of extremism. In my new book, Committed, I explore the parallels between them in the conversion of ordinary people to terrorist ideologies. But how does this conversion happen?
Humans are more susceptible to messages when they come from an authority figure or group to which we feel aligned. We consider ourselves part of the ‘in-group’, and we begin to feel negatively towards any ‘out-groups’. Extremists create this sense of affinity by tapping into racial, economic, social, political, and religious divisions, over-simplifying and exploiting them by manipulating their adherents to hate the ‘out-group’ that supposedly hates them. With this justification, violence is just a short step away.
My main character, Ellen McGinley, was a CIA undercover operative during a deadly Islamist terror attack in Paris, five years ago, which she blames herself for not preventing. In the present day, she is trying to confront a domestic terror threat in the US which no one else believes is real, and she won’t stop – even if it costs her everything.
In occasional chapters narrated by one of the domestic terror group, Peter, we see from the other side how someone might come to be drawn into a radical group. Poverty, hatred, a sense of being betrayed by those in power, personal failure, social rejection, and frustration are all factors that contribute to the characters’ susceptibility to join an extreme group and engage in violence.
Though Committed is a work of fiction, the issues at its heart are very real. And as society, we ignore them at our peril.
If you’d like to read more, you can purchase Committed here: https://t.co/C4kmTAIFIk
Committed by Chris Merritt (Headline)
Former CIA undercover operative Ellen McGinley is battling to overcome PTSD when she stumbles upon a domestic terror plot. The deadly attack is due to take place in six days and will strike at the very heart of her homeland. For Ellen, it's a chance to find redemption for her greatest mistake - one she will never allow herself to forget. But no sooner than she alerts the authorities, she finds herself diagnosed as delusional and locked in a psychiatric ward. No one believes her story. She's the only one who thinks the danger is real, which means she's the only one who can stop it. Ellen must draw on all her old skills to escape, stay alive, protect her family, and find those responsible - before all hell breaks loose.
Chris Merritt is a clinical psychologist and former diplomat. As a member of the British foreign service, he completed postings in Jerusalem and Iraq. He has also lived and worked in the US. Committed is his eighth novel.
More information about the author can be found on his website. You can also follow him on Twitter @DrCJMerritt on Instagram @cjmerritt81 and on Facebook.
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