Right-Wing Terrorism in the U.S.
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This study will examine right-wing terrorism in the United States, focusing on the bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, and arguing that such right-wing terrorism is a combination of both political and religious beliefs which focus far more on destroying the system which exists rather than building a new system to replace the old. As such, the scope of the study will be limited to the argument that right-wing terrorism in the United States, as exemplified in the Oklahoma City combing, is rooted in frustration and rage more than in the idealism which these terrorists claim to espouse. The methodology of the study will be an analysis and comparison of four sources which take disparate views of right-wing terrorism in general and the Oklahoma City bombing in particular. While most of the sources accept the findings of the courts with respect to the people and motivations behind the bombing, one source (David Hoffman) argues that the bombing was the result of a much larger conspiracy than was exposed by the courts. In either case, however, whether only two men or twenty were involved in the bombing and/or other terrorist acts, the fact remains that (1) the right-wing terrorists blend religious and political ideals as motivating forces, and (2) those ideals are essentially betrayed by actions of frustration and hatred which only destroy and have no hope of building anew. The sources consulted for this study are all in-depth, fully docu
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er the Reagan administration led to the withdrawal of U.S. troops. However, there is no such apparent political in the major terrorist attacks in the United States.
Juergensmeyer's convincing thesis is that such terrorism is more "symbolic" than "strategic." By "symbolic," the author means that the terrorist acts "are intended to illustrate . . . a struggle more awesome than meets the eye." In other words, the terrorists in the United States such as McVeigh and Nichols are not really capable themselves of articulating their specific political goals. They are "symbolic, and, "can be analyzed as one would any other symbol, ritual, or sacred drama."
To refer to the bombing as a "sacred drama" is to use the word "sacred" from the point of view of the terrorist himself. McVeigh did apparently believe that he was carrying out an action which is some way was connected to a right-wing, racist interpretation of Christianity.
Stickney takes a much more narrow focus on terrorism than does Juergensmeyer, focusing on the life of a single terrorist, McVeigh, rather than on terrorism in the global context. However, we find in McVeigh, through Stickney, a living example of the kind of terrorist without a real political strategy of whic
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Some common words found in the essay are:
McVeigh Nichols, Oklahoma City, Grand Design, David Hoffman, Richard Hofstadter, Mark Juergensmeyer, City April, McVeigh Stickney, Los Angeles, United Juergensmeyer's, oklahoma city, oklahoma city bombing, city bombing, right-wing terrorism, domestic terrorism, political strategy, mcveigh nichols, terrorist acts, hatred frustration, federal building, terrorism united, exemplified oklahoma city, terrorism oklahoma city, world trade center, rage hatred frustration,
Approximate Word count = 1593
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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