Introduction
It has been more than a century that the United States of America is challenged with the persistent threat of domestic terrorism, also called homegrown terrorism. The mentioned form of terrorism can be defined as “the unlawful use, or threatened use, of violence by a group or individual based and operating entirely within the United States (or its territories) without foreign direction” (Bennett, 2007). Domestic terrorism is said to be an offensive activity that is meant to harm a person or property in order to terrorize or pressurize a government or its inhabitants so that social or political goals can be achieved.
On the other hand, international terrorism can be defined as the repetitive employment of politically-motivated violent actions with coercive purpose. This type of terrorism is carried out by non-state actors and has an effect on more than one country. There is a difference in the quality and consequences of domestic terrorism and international terrorism. The targets of domestic terrorism have emblematic significance. Moreover, its impacts are intense domestically. On the other hand, targets of international terrorism have global importance, and the impacts are reflected in a number of countries (Ozeren, Gunes & Al-Badayneh, 2007).
Is Domestic Terrorism a Valid Threat in the United States?
Terrorist groups that are involved in the execution of domestic terrorist activities signify interests that span the entire spectrum of financial, political and social point of views. Domestic terrorist groups have been continuously involved in nonstop action for causing monetary damage or disturb or wipe out the operations of a number of facilities. They have been successful in causing harm to fur farms, university research labs, logging operations, sports utility vehicle dealerships, restaurants, cosmetics industry, new home construction developments, and the pharmaceutical industry. Such groups have been increasingly using volatile and inflammable devices over the last several years (Bennett, 2007).
Although such terrorist activities have not caused any casualties; there has been an increase in their size and frequency. There are a number of domestic terrorist groups that are currently operating in the United States of America. The most violently active are Stop Huntington Animal Cruelty, the Earth Liberation Front, Army of God, The Crips, the Animal Liberation Front, the Ku Klux Clan, and Black Liberation Army. They are considered the leaders considering the damage caused and committed crimes (Bennett, 2007).
It is astonishing that even though domestic terrorism inflicts extensive and influential impacts, this issue is neglected by majority of American people, including lawmakers, politicians, and law enforcement authorities. This is because they consider domestic terrorist activities as conventional criminal offenses. It is significant to note that only FBI takes domestic terrorism seriously. Nonetheless, domestic terrorism is a valid threat to the United States of America as it impacts the society dramatically. For this reason, domestic terrorism is needed to be responded to in a different manner. It is important to consider domestic terrorism as a serious challenge to national security (Davis, 2014).
There are many examples of domestic terrorism incidents that occurred in the last decade. The Boston bombing, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the mass killings in Aurora, Connecticut, Texas, Fort Hood, Colorado, and Newtown indicate that domestic terrorism has been consuming the American society. It is an unfortunate fact that the mentioned incidents are perfect examples of homegrown terrorism. However, the reluctance of Americans to label the mentioned as domestic terrorism is surprising. The justice system and law enforcement agencies maintain that criminal-profiling is inevitable. According to them, physical profiles are obligatory to identify a terrorist. Unfortunately, the general public and media accept this practice widely. In contrast, professionals related to antiterrorism insist that terrorism cannot be combatted by making profiling a hindrance in the terrorist identification process (Davis, 2014).
The Impact of Domestic Terrorism and International Terrorism on the United States – Comparison and Contrast
Both types of terrorism have several consequences. These include the death toll, devastation, psychological trauma, and economic damage. Economic damage and psychological impacts are always observable after the execution of terrorist activities. In the contemporary times, almost every nation around the world is deeply convinces that it should spend major sums of money in order to fight terror. However, fighting against domestic terrorism and international terrorism at the same time has also rapidly surpassed even the capacities of deficit expenses of a majority of governments. On the other hand, the psychological impacts include trauma (long-term and short-term). In particular, children are traumatized after terrorist activities. This is because young people are most vulnerable to WMD attacks. In addition, a domestic terrorist activity is enough to expose the drawbacks and weaknesses of a national healthcare system.
As far as domestic terrorism is concerned, its greatest impact is that the general public loses its confidence in civil liberties. International terrorism affects the airline industry as well as the tourism industry of the affected country. The terrorism fear keeps people away to visit that country. As a consequence, the economic standing of the country decreases automatically. In my opinion, domestic terrorism inflicts more negative impacts on public realization and perception as compared to international terrorism.
Domestic Terrorism or International Terrorism - Which of the Two is More Dangerous for the American Public?
In my opinion, domestic terrorism attacks have a far more overwhelming and destructive effect than international terrorism attacks. There is no doubt that the tools, devices, and weapons used by domestic assailants are fundamentally similar as available to international terrorists. However, the consequences can be rather different. Domestic terrorism is frightening as it can irreparably damage the psyche of any nation, including the United States of America (Turner, 2011).
The discovery that the terrorist activity is carried out by a national citizen is tormenting. For instance, a white male was involved in the Arizona shooting of Representative Giffords and several citizens. This incident was extremely disturbing after the involvement of a young national was disclosed. It is not an untold secret that the majority of US citizens envisage terrorists as a brown or olive-skinned person with a long beard. However, a lot of domestic terrorism incidents have debunked this stereotype. Domestic terrorists frequently take advantage of the fact that possess US citizenship and a passport, and have command over the national language (Turner, 2011).
Domestic terrorism is becoming more dangerous for the American nation as the contemporary terrorists are making use of technological advances in the transport, communiqué and weapons. This advancement has facilitated their abilities to voice their intentions. Moreover, they have been successful in improving their capacities for taking violent actions pursuing their objectives.
Conclusion
The American government is focusing more on international terrorism in the present times. However, it is extremely important for the authorities to remain aware and mindful of the complete assortment of threats that the country is currently confronting. It is to be realized that these threats include both international and domestic terrorists. There is no doubt that a lot of domestic attacks have caused a small number of casualties. However, the loss of one hundred and sixty nine innocent lives in the Oklahoma City bombing indicate that the domestic terrorists and extremists are interested in the infliction of mass casualties in the future (Watson, 2002).
References
Bennett, B. (2007). UUnderstanding, Assessing, and Responding to Terrorism: Protecting Critical Infrastructure and Personnel. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley-Interscience.
Davis, J. (2014). United States of America ? Right Now: Distortion of the Dream. United States: Xilbris.
Ozeren, S., Gunes, I., & Al-Badayneh, D. (2007). Understanding Terrorism: Analysis of Sociological and Psychological Aspects. Amsterdam: IOS Press.
Turner, C. (2011, August 1). Homegrown Terrorism vs. International Terrorism. Retrieved November 3, 2014, from http://praemon.org/2011/08/01/homegrown-terrorism-vs-international-terrorism/
Watson, D. (2002, February 6). The Terrorist Threat Confronting the United States. Retrieved November 3, 2014, from http://www.fbi.gov/news/testimony/the-terrorist-threat-confronting-the-united-states
