Abstract

The USA acclaims to be a multicultural land of opportunity assimilating migrant settlers since its inception, but another facet of the USA is a culture of white racial supremacy, and orthodox beliefs regarding blacks, women, religious and ideological others. The policy of constructing the ideological other, i.e., communism, was the highlight of cold war politics. The end of the cold war brought a shift in US policy and led to the rise of right-wing nationalist groups. The Trump victory was the triumph of these groups leading to an exponential rise in incidents of domestic terrorism during the Trump Era. The paper employing Realist IR theory analyzes the Right-wing terrorist ideology through secondary data. One outcome of the study is that the ideology of populism employing violence is causing civil unrest and is a stigma for USA soft image, and the rise of domestic terrorism is associated with the wave of global religious revivalism. 

Key Words:

Right-Wing, Domestic Terrorism, Populism, National Image, USA 

Introduction

The origin of the terms right and left can be traced back to the late 18th century, where after the French Revolution, the seating order of the French parliament was assigned names of right and left. The right represented the president in power, representing prestige for the aristocrats and the church; whereas the left represented the commoners. In the more general perception of the concept, the right-wing is associated with the socially conservative status-quo, left, on the other hand, is associated with secularism and liberty, embracing change and novelty. In ideological terms, the views of the right are always contrasting to the views of the left. Far-right extremist groups have many forms and shapes; some are religiously motivated, others are racially, but some superiority complex is associated with the rightwing. This superiority complex is one of the reasons for violence caused by the right-wing groups, alternately referred to as domestic terrorism.  (Bjørgo & Ravndal, 2019) 

Violence and terrorism have been associated with the right; during the 19th century, the reactionary movement of "Know Nothing" seems occasionally involved in clashes with Catholics and immigrants. Peak to the right-wing violence was achieved during the Reconstruction Era, Ku Klux Klan was the perpetrator of terror in the aftermath of the Civil War. In Louisiana state alone, it is estimated that 2000 were killed or injured in weeks before the 1868 presidential elections. The second era of the Ku Klux Klan was in the 1920s, when the primary targets of the Klan were the Blacks and Catholics.  (Michael, 2003)  Contemporary right-wing terrorism entered the 

US in 1990, yet it was not manifested other than its electoral politics. After the Oklahoma City 
bombing incident, 1995, the issue of right-wing terrorism parched into public debates. The bombings were brutal, killing 168 people and almost 680 injured. The white supremacist antigovernment propaganda radicalized both McVeigh and Nichlos. Incident of such magnitude has opened up debates for the public to look for far-right radicalization as a threat to the US national and international image.  (Editors, 2009) Major far-right revolutionary groups include Neo-Nazi, White Nationalist, Racist Skinhead, Christian Identity, and General Hate. In some way or the other, all these groups are related to violent practices against the minorities, Blacks or Muslims.     
21st h century is said to be the century of rising domestic terrorism in the US when the violence and terrorism-related to the far-right groups are noticed at the peak of an all-time high in 2020. Since 2015, 267 attacks related to the far-right have been registered. (Jr., Tran, & Hawkins, 2021) In decades these numbers have not shown such a hike, the situation is alarming, and the Americans need to understand the gravity of the threat before it gets worse. Analysis of right-wing terrorism is the most contemporary phenomenon, as right-wing extremist networks are growing in the US. On March 17, 2021, in Georgia, a tragic mass shooting happened where several people lost their lives. The question that arises here is who the culprits were, and what was the motive behind the killings? The reason behind the incident seems to be racist ideology backed by white supremacy. This is not the only incident of its kind of widespread killing based on prejudice, intolerance, and racism. Another case was George Floyd, where four police officers knelt on Floyd's neck, which unfortunately resulted in his death. This incident was also reported as a racial discrimination event by the local media. During the last two years, US Counter-Terrorism official meets their European counterparts to discuss the emerging threat in the US, As Europe has also been facing the same conditions for almost the last decade. Many incidents have mainly taken palaces like Germany, Italy, and France.  (Jr., 
Tran, & Hawkins, 2021) 
The rise in domestic terrorism in America during Donald Trump's era has registered new heights. Reasons for this rise are to be investigated to cater to the potential threat in its early days. Maybe the reason lies in the use of the noninclusive doctrine of white supremacy, or maybe the use of policy opted by the republicans for the elections is the reason for increasing domestic terrorism? The main objective behind the rightwing terrorist ideology is to destruct the liberaldemocratic state ideology, opting for exclusionary practices. Developing historical context on rightwing populist groups opting for anomic-terrorist means and employing a hate narrative for Others; the paper examines the impact of right-wing terrorism on US national interest in domestic and international arenas.        

Literature Review

Eatwell and Mudde, in their book Western Democracies and the New Extreme Right 

Challenge, discussed in detail the challenges faced by the democratic governments of the 20th century. By the 1990s, Western democracy has become a global norm of government, but in recent years, the extreme right has gathered support in many western countries, i.e., France and Italy. In Europe and the US, the state itself is the primary target of these extremist groups. Racist violence to the hate crime against immigrants all bend towards hate narratives against minorities and different ideologies and religious groups like Muslims. The book focuses on the varying trajectory of these populist groups and leaps into the issues and trends of this extremist problem.  (Eatwell & Mudde, 2003) The book ' The Extreme Right Right: Freedom and Security at Risk ' discusses the conceptual layout of the right-wing extremist threats to the US. The book is a socio-historical account of the history of the right-wing extremist movement in western democracies and discusses mechanisms for dealing with this potential threat. During the 1980s and 1990s, the most familiar face of the extreme right was its criminal element, and this criminal face of this modern-day extreme right is even more chauvinist and intolerant and caused the emergence of new groups in Western Europe and America.  (Braun & Scheinberg, 1997) 

In his book 'Confronting Right-wing Extremism and Terrorism in the USA,' George Michael solely focuses on examining the rightwing extremist threat in the US by the Government and Non-governmental entities. 

Interviews with the extremist figures of the several movements of the contemporary extreme right have made it possible to cast an accurate picture of the emerging threats and discuss the role of watchdogs, and their campaigning efforts helped shape and influence the governmental policy.  (Michael, 2003) Daryl Johnson, in his book, offers a detailed account of the right-wing extremist groups and militias in the US, as in 2008, the number of these militia groups was 149, and in 2012 it reached up to 600. (Johnson, 2012) The author Daryl Johnson is an expert in the field, working for several agencies for almost 20 years, and the book is the first-hand account of the truthful depiction of the facts and circumstances posing a potential threat to the country. The inside leak of the Department of Homeland Security has opened up the situation of mishandling and compromising national security in many situations. Interviews and case studies of different extremists belonging to the rightist ideology have revealed such groups' agendas, operations, and recruitment processes. It is an ever-growing security threat to the US that has been ignored and is now beginning to be realized.  (Johnson, 2012) 

Leonard believes that the US has become both the target and the locale for the rightist violent groups. These groups are motivated by racism, anti-democratic, ultra-nationalist, xenophobia, and Islamophobia. Usually, European democracies have characterized terrorism with three sources left-wing revolutionaries, right-wing extremists, and religious terrorists. Not in a single case of all three 

US is safe, most uncommon and ignored the threat of all these potential threats to the United States is of Right-wing extremist groups.  (Weinberg, 1996) Another researcher Vincent A. Auger agrees and takes a step further in writing the right-wing terror as the fifth global wave of terrorism. The study argues that the violence committed by the rightist groups is increasingly seen as a transnational threat, and it is very much necessary to cater to the issue as these rightwingers operate within the borders of a country. Using the theoretical construct of David C. Rapoport as 'Waves of terrorism,' the author tries to construct a relationship between right-wing terrorism and a global threat in the making; and calls this the fifth global wave of terrorism.  (Auger, 2020) 

Right-wing terrorism has been criticized for being narrow and too event-driven. The article of Bart Schuurman uses keyword analysis to analyze the degree to which these issues remain present from 2007 to 2016. This massive study of analyzing around 3,442 articles in a single study has paved the way for future researchers to identify the variables related to terrorism and leap forward in new directions.  (Schuurman, 2019) Researcher Jacob A. Ravndal also explains the difficulties of studying the cross-national variants of right-wing violence. The main reason is the unavailability of events data coupled with the complexity of the analysis regarding right-wing terrorism and violence. The article concludes the paradox of rightist political parties, which intends to fuel the extreme right violence.  (Ravndal, 2018)  

James A. Piazza believes that factors like economic hardships, poverty, and unemployment are not significant predictors of right-wing terrorism but societal and political indicators directly promote right-wing violence.  (Piazza, 2015) Organized right-wing extremist groups are somehow related to the Christian Identity Movement, which advocates the racist, fundamentalist, and antifederalist beliefs. These extremist groups are confined to shared aggression towards any government; they believe in conspiracy theories and want the religious and racial purification of the United States. The threat to US national interest and image of the country is evident due to the portrayal of these fundamentalist-rightist groups of the USA as a White-Christian state.  (Hoffman B. , 1987) The psychological study of right-wing terrorism is implied to the text-based personalities present in the literature, and the question is addressed, whether the right-wing terrorist personality is characterized by vindictiveness and violence or not? The detailed profiling by Tschantret reveals that right-wing terrorist personality has some unique personality features and can easily be identified from the general public and other 

terrorists.  (Tschantret, 2021)           

 

Literature Gap  

After a detailed literature review, the literature gap is identified as  

• Right-wing terrorism & violence are emerging threats at the global level. 

• The proper methodology and study of the phenomena are needed to address the issue. 

• The United States of America is identified as the locale of right-wing extremist groups.  

• US becomes the victim of right-wing terrorism because it is against the US claimed to be an inclusive political system.  

• Many causes of right-wing extremism can be identified in the US, but the populist narrative of the right-wing nationalist groups is a fundamental determinant.  

• The adverse effects of right-wing populism can affect US national interest and its image at the global level.  

Theoretical Framework

The paper will adopt the Realist paradigm as a theoretical framework to analyze the lag between national interests of the state and narrow definition of national interests by the right-wing populist groups, and how this lag contributes to crack the consensus of the state that, according to Realism is a homogenous entity. Furthermore, the study will focus on the structural strain and ideological bases that can produce an environment conducive for right-wing extremists to flourish. The theory of collective behavior added with Realism help understand the reasons for the rise of extremism in the US. 

Methodology

The study is apt to use the qualitative research methodology for a detailed analytical study to understand the factors at play in the emergence of right-wing terrorism in the USA. It is a paradoxical situation that right-wing groups believing in anomic modes of politics, using the populist narrative of exclusion, appear in a consolidated democracy that considers itself the torch Bearer of liberal-secular-democratic values. The country also acclaims to be the melting pot of culture and pride in its civic nationalism. For the sake of research, secondary data sources are used to indicate the rise of right-wing terrorism globally in general and in the US, particularly during Trump's populist regime.     

Objectives

The main objectives of the study are as follows  

• To identify the causes of the rise of rightwing nationalist groups. 

• To understand the ideological populist narrative employed by right-wing nationalist groups. 

• To examine the anomic terrorist means employed by right-wing groups. 

• To study the right-wing populism in the US and its Impacts on broader US national interest. 

 

Research Questions   

• How does white supremacy effects the US international image and soft power?  

• What are the effects of right-wing terrorism on migrants and minorities in the US?    

Grassroot Extremist Nationalist Involvement in Political Arena

Following the decline of Israel in the Middle East, the second most prominent threat to the world is the 

continuous rise in right-wing terrorism due to populism, civil unrest, and political violence. This massive rise in hate crimes related to far-right terrorism has been focused due to intense political and media scrutiny after an increased number of cases around the globe in 2019. One such incident was when the gunman attacked two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 51 people; another incident happened in El Paso, Texas where another gunman shot dead 23 innocent people in just five days; dozens of people were killed all because of this far-right extremists. These incidents triggered the debate on whether this radical Jihadist terrorism is the more significant threat to the West or this emerging trend of right-wing terrorism.  (News, 2019) 

The far-right is characterized as the political ideology deeply rooted in one or more of the following elements: nationalism that is racial or exclusivist in nature, nativism, fascism, racism, anti-immigrant, chauvinist, xenophobic, and Islamophobic. These groups are generally authoritarian with populist elements; in the past, they were meant to be anti-communist, but this view has been changed with the end of the world war. Often misunderstood as the anti-government groups, but all anti-government are not far-right groups simultaneously; not every group with these characteristics can be categorized as the far-right group. However, the terrorist groups with these characteristics or individuals sympathetic to these ideals are classified as the far-right/right-wing extremist groups. (Peace, 2020)        

The issue of great concern in American politics is the far right or the radical right in the continuous struggle of changing the American institutions; either these persons and institutions are threatening the American sense of traditional value or economic interest. The attention that this radical right is getting is all because of the undemocratic means used by these groups. The radical right has used such practices which threaten to tarnish the social fabric of democratic politics that is the reason to study the profound effects of this group on the political arena. These far-right of the US political arena mainly focus on white supremacy and nationalist groups, i.e., Ku Klux Klan, The National White People's Party, and the Citizens' Council.  (Lipset, 1955)   

The election-year 2020 was the year when the The most echoed question was that; how much potential threat is right-extremist forces to disrupt the US election and havoc caused by-elections? The threat is genuine; long before the casting of votes, the US president was questioning the integrity of the elections. This tactic was used to trigger significant threat groups like Oth Keepers and Boogaloo Bois, armed militias that can cause civil unrest after losing the 2020 elections. (Hoffman, 1987) The system was paralyzed long before the elections bizarre conspiracies theories have entered the mainstream politics of the US; the whole nation was under an anxiety attack. The sales of arms skyrocketed due to the coming elections. The pundits predicted a state of civil war in America in the coming elections; some predicted three potential timeframes for the violence to happen pre-election violence, election day, and post-inauguration violence. The term terrorism back then was avoided consciously, and a new term was used instead of domestic terrorism; it was the threat within the state's boundaries. All those predictions were proven to be true the massive chaos followed the elections, and the country faces a significant loss in its political liberal-secular norms. The country's image was portrayed as the rightist state, with extremist groups sabotaging the system. (Hoffman, 2020) 

The deadliest form of terrorism for the West and The US was Islamist terrorism, but the data of Global Terrorism Datasheet (GTD) has recorded the number of events that happened during 2002-2018and classified that political terrorist incidents have increased in the last decade. Here we can see an apparent increase in the number of terrorist events in the West and US.  (Peace, 2020) 

United States; between 2002 to 2019, out of 332 situation of the US to be worse than the rest of incidents, 167 incidents are reported. (Peace, the West. 2020) The number of deaths also represents the 




According to the Global Terrorism Index Report, in 2020, over the past five years, far-right motivated terrorism events have been increased steadily. Between 2015-2019 there were 359 political terrorist incidents, and in 2018, the death toll is even higher than any other form of terrorism since 2011; such a hike in numbers is of great concern to the western democracies that are Torch-Bearer of liberal-democratic norms. Another alarming situation is seen through the GTI that out of any other country, the most incidents of right-wing terrorism are caused in the The magnitude of the threat can be seen through the data and is of great concern, the ideals of democratic norms are under a continuous threat of domesticated threat of terrorism due to negligence and mishandling of the political ideologies by the leaders for their short-term political outcome, the US is now under siege of Right-wing terrorism. However, the threat is not new to the US, but the magnitude this time is of significant concern. The potential threat to the US is not from outsides Jihadist Terrorism, but the threat lies within the US boundaries and is from the US citizens.  (Peace, 2020)                                           Corresponding RWT with Religious Revivalism                            Right-wing terrorism has its roots in many factors, but the mixture of these two factors is a rare combination. Religious revivalism is a phenomenon that cannot be underwhelmed but is of great concern. The theoretical lacuna in rightwing terrorism can be seen through the lens of religious revivalism. The construction of the Nazi German ideology and the fascist regime of France all have roots in the religious ideology. The use of religion to cast spells on the masses is a primitive mode of control by the political elite. In the case of India, religious revivalism was mainstreamed by the 2014 election of Narender Modi; to construct the campaign around the Hindu insecurity, Modi mobilized the Hindu masses to a Muslim threat, as a result of which the Hindutva narrative became a synonym to the Indian nationalism. Making a scholarly divide between the new and old narrative of Indian nationalism, there was a secular state, inclusive in nature, becoming a state imposing Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) forcing minorities to prove their nationality. This act suffers a significant backlash, but Modi Government uses these tools as a return gift of election promises. Gripping tight to the Hindutva ideology, Modi made it possible to win other elections become Prime Minister for the second tern. The study of this Hindutva ideology is a field for South-Asian scholars; whereas it is understood that right-wing terrorism is a phenomenon of the West, recent development in the world has made it clear to analyze and conceptualize right-wing terrorism as a global phenomenon.  (Leidig, 2020) 

Dan Hummel, a history scholar, has charged Donald Trump as the revivalist of nationalism embedded in the contemporary politics of Christian America. In the year 1980, Ronald Reagan gave Americans a slogan, let us make America great again" (Hummel, 2016) by using the revivalist language, Reagan was chagrining against the moral and religious decline of the country. Donald Trump in his election campaign used the same slogan, Dan Hummel narrates, "looking at his language, and particularly even something that the most of us would agree is not religious, like 'make America great again,' you will see that it has a historical background.”  (Hummel, 2016) The statement itself is of the exact revivalist nature to revive the principles of Christian America, same as used in Reagan’s 1980 election campaign. Furthermore, in his study Dan Hummel quoted the case studies of Ronald Reagan and other conservative Republicans to prove his argument, adding that the catchphrase used by Trump is of the same nature.  (Hummel, 2016) The language used by Trump is an example of how historical reference can be used in modern politics, and how much religion is essential to the individual in their daily actions?   

In 2016, voters reported that immigration policy was the most critical factor in influencing voting. Trump’s whole election campaign revolved around the immigrants, some of the significant points taken into account during and after the 2016 election, supporting rightist politics.  

• Trump announced to build a wall between the US and Mexico  

• Trump declares for a deportation force to deport all illegal migrants 

• Trump allures derogatory remarks regarding Mexicans as rapists, drug paddlers, and those who bring crime to the US.  

• He also proposed a ban on the entry of Muslims into the US and wanted to suspend immigration from countries with a history of terrorism referring to Muslim states. 

These are the notable mentions of Trump’s campaign, which fuel the fire for rightist groups to unite and ignite against the religious minorities and immigrants. Trump’s anti-immigration agenda made it possible for the president to hardline stance and did as he has said earlier. The religious revivalism in the US fueled up during Trump’s era, tied to the right-winger’s agitation to the US politics, is deeply rooted in the grassroots rightist groups playing a part in politics.  

(Ballotpedia, 2007)         

The US Constitutional Upheaval for Arms

The second amendment of the US constitution, ratified in1791 along with nine other articles as the Bill of Rights, protects the right of individuals to bear and keep arms. Despite extensive debates in courts, there is still no clear judgment on what rights about the arms the second amendment protects. The Second amendment is divided into its prefatory clause and an operative clause. The prefatory clause deals with having an organized militia necessary to protect the state, whereas the operative clause deals with the right of the general public to keep arms. Both clauses are essential because the state needs to bear arms in both forms: an organized militia and individual level, for state security. Despite many confusions regarding the amendment, one clear thing is that it is the bar of federal action; no state or private entity can act independently.  (School, 1992)  There are many dangerous challenges caused by the groups and individuals of right-wingpowered movements in the US like the White Supremacist Movement, Anti-government militias, and conspiracy theories. Gun right fanaticism is the most common factor, radicalizing broader audiences to the messaging of the far-right. The National Rifle Association (NRA) and many other advocators are prominent to the cause. The fuel for this idea is the conspiracy theories that move around and give argumentative material to the supporters of NRF and others. One such example is a racist and antiSemitic conspiracy theory, known as replacement theory. The crux of the theory is that immigrants of Jewish origin are coming to the US and will kill the entire native to be replaced by them. The gun lobby has always promoted and protected these conspiring theories from keeping their agenda alive. Also, in recent times, Donald Trump and his allies issued a warning of threat about a caravan of migrants heading towards the US from Mexico. The NRA then propagated the news and claimed that a Jewish left-wing group would enter the US to influence the upcoming election. Eight days later, a white supremacist entered the Pittsburg synagogue and killed eleven people in an incident. The sole purpose of the attack was to kill the Jews who were conspiring against the US nationals; the actual reason behind this was the hate produced by the replacement theory.  (Policy, 2020) 

US constitution’s second amendment has protected or not the right of individuals to keep arms; there is too much gray area for the individuals to act. Everyone poses their explanations to the right. After son, many verdicts by the courts were issued, the issue remains unresolved and unclear to date. As a result, many Gun Right Fanatics and right-wingers use the act as an excuse to own arms, simultaneously building armed militias to protect their hateful narrative about minorities and immigrants. The political elite often uses this amendment act to amplify their voter’s turnout by advocating such harmful and hateful ideas regarding racism, nationalism, and Islamophobia, triggering right-wing terrorist groups to activate the fanning flames of fear and anger in the country.          

 

Rise of Right-Wing Populism during Trump 

Era and Future Threats to US National Interest  In recent times, far-right extremist groups have moved from the periphery of national politics to the core. After swearing off Donald Trump as the president of the United States, the extreme rightist groups have growing influence and power dedicating themselves to the defenses of Trumps’ anti-Immigrants and anti-Muslim agenda, resulting in a rigorous rise in hate speeches about minorities and the opposition of the Trump’s administration. Adeel Hassan of the New York Times indicated that hate crime against minorities had hit a new high of last 16 years, analyzing the FBI stats.  (Hassan, 2019) The militia groups and the Boogaloo Movement have created a unique phenomenon of protesting, openly carrying arms in the public. Also, they have been using these arms for terrorizing and violence. The Gun Lobby of the US and the Far-right have a familiar hero to embrace in Donald Trump, who is talking in the same language as these groups want to listen. In the 2016 election, NRA was the most prominent backer of Trump, spending almost 30 million in his election campaigns to get him elected.  (Hamburger, Wagner, & Helderman, 

2017)     

The times have changed for the people of knowledge and the people of hate. In recent times, social media has played a vital role as propaganda machines with swift, to the point, and short messages. During this era, the launch of NRATV, an online propaganda media channel propagating conspiracy theories daily, was the move to give more power to the groups of the Right and Gun lobby. Ad campaigns were launched to spread hate among people speeding out the “Us vs. Them” narrative. Similarly, the Oath Keeper published on their website an antiliberal campaign. The Far-right groups and others motivated by the same ideologies openly believed and disused the opportunity of inevitable civil war, a significant threat to the US national integrity. The right-wing groups have used social media to recruit new individuals and propagate their idea to the public at large. Groups like ‘Alt-

Right’ use social media rebranding to attract recruits. Other groups like Unity the Right, Light Foot Militia, Three Percent Groups are some notable mentions that have gained currency during Trumps’ populist regime. Other extremeright militias are centered on the border areas of US-Mexico like Anti-Immigrants Militia, United Constitutional Patriots, etc. The El Paso mass shooting incident was one of the significant incidents that happened at the brink of an end to Trump’s era, where a man shoots 46 people, killing 23 of them, with his online purchased AK assault rifle. The attack was the deadliest in 2019 and was considered one of the deadliest far-right terrorist attacks post 9/11. The El Paso shooter was also motivated by the rhetoric white supremacist ideology of the United States.  (Arango, Nicholas, & Benner, 2019)  

Trump has always been vocal about the widespread voter’s fraud, that a large number of immigrants has cast millions of illegal ballots. He has also claimed that mail-in ballots for the 2020 election are a liberal conspiracy to steal the elections. Trump has also been repeating the racist remarks about the Vice-president candidate Kamala Harris, all these baseline claims bring more power to the rightist narrative. Trump’s exaggerated claims about the elections 2020 and calling out them as the “rigged election” and claiming on his Twitter account that the “country would COLLAPSE” amplified his massage to his far-right supporters to pose fundamental questions about the integrity of elections and American democracy. This unprecedented question of political legitimacy was the most significant setback to the country's national integrity around the globe. The far-right extremist groups catalyze the situation due to unconditional support by the county's political leadership.  (Policy, 2020)   

Due to the global pandemic situation in the 2020 elections, the armed persons & militias of different states can be seen protesting despite the lockdown order by the state governors. This type of protest has never been part of American history where protesters came along with such firearms. These right-wing terrorist groups also use the antilockdown protests, and the protests erupted due to the George Floyed incident as an opportunity to freely display military-style firearms in public. Thump rose to power through a populist narrative defining national interest in narrow terms using exclusionary tactics for minorities like Muslims, Asians, Blacks, and migrants. The Trumps era ended in chaos, and challenges to the constitutional process have continued since 1789. The right-wing militias were unwilling to change the government by democratic constitutional means and went to the extent that they attacked Capitol Hill. It was the worst example of employing anomic means to stop the change of government through democratic procedures. It was the dark day in American history that caused severe damage to the US image as liberalconstitutional-democracy. 

Conclusion

The USA was the first country to experiment liberal doctrine of constitutional democracy and limited government. It added the Bill of Rights to the constitution. The state was conscious of its people’s diverse ethno-lingual and racial backgrounds. The fathers of the constitution kept the document brief and made the base principal rigid, making room for new adaptations while keeping the spirit of the constitution alive. The country faced the racist dilemma and white supremacy when US southern states declared independence on maintaining slavery. However, the country survived the menace of civil war, and the American house remained intact. Though the southern states denied blacks many rights, in the 1960s civil rights movement, the Black Americans emerged victorious, championing the cause of equal citizenship rights. The racial problems of the US are deeply rooted in history, yet it welcomes the migrants from all ethno-lingualracial-religious backgrounds, and these migrants, along with Blacks, comprise the workforce of a gigantic economy.  

America is considered the land of opportunities and a melting pot of cultures that assimilate the newcomers in Americanness. America is also the hegemonic soft power with global interest. The right-wing terrorist attacks on minorities and religious others are a stigma on the American image of soft power. American interest across the globe was challenged and compromised during Trump’s era due to the rise of right-wing nationalist groups. The civic intelligentsia detested Trump’s regime in urban centers, yet he was popular among rural folks and orthodox followers of Christianity. The promise for economic prosperity motivated the right-wing groups, who constructed the presence of other groups as detrimental for the prosperity of the white-lower middle classes. The 2020 election results reflect that the USA still believes in democratic ideals and inclusive Americanness. The right-wing terrorist groups, though they have a significant presence, their anomic protest means are checked through legal, constitutional democratic institutions and civic norms. The study concludes that during Trump’s administration significant gap identified was the use of revivalist agenda and anti-immigrants & xenophobic policies. Excess use of exclusive slurs and narrative give motivation and strength to the Far-right extremist groups, as a result of which they come into the limelight of mainstream politics. The damage done to the US dream of being the flag barrier of democratic norms is complicated to restore as the threat of a new wave of domestic terrorism is knocking at the doors. Now is the time to act according to the situation and make necessary policy-making moves to curb this real-life issue of right-wing terrorism.   ?

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