The (D)evolution of White Supremacist Violence and the Mismeasurement of Terrorism

Abstract

Abstract White supremacists today are often violent, but they are rarely able to achieve their expansive political objectives. White supremacists face a variety of problems: they often find it difficult to recruit without being discovered; they are usually broke, and as a result cannot sustain their organizations; the decentralization of the movement makes it difficult for them to follow any strategy and leads to constant infighting; and, in most countries, law enforcement and weak popular support limit their activities. Governments are able, if they try, to fight white supremacist violence effectively. Nevertheless, they are able to kill many people, and many strands of the movement are more violent than in the past. The threat of terrorism, moreover, should be measured beyond the lives lost. White supremacists often have a more profound political and psychological impact than their numbers suggest.