Discussion 1: Comparing International (or Transnational) and Domestic Terrorism.
Discuss one of the following:

1- The difference between international (or transnational) and domestic terrorism;
2- The drivers of violent extremism;
3- The main challenges outline by the President’s Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism; or
4- Do you agree with the view that terrorists are “rational actors”?

There will be supplemental REQUIRED readings and discussions about those readings throughout the semester.

The readings will consist of research relevant to the topics discussed in class.

These readings and articles will allow you to read about research being conducted that is consistent with the topics you have read from the material provided (other outside sources are also authorized).

After reading the articles, you will be required to participate in a discussion board comprised of TWO TASKS that will be worth a total of 25 points.

Specific Instructions:
1- At the beginning of your answer, please copy and paste the question (This does not count towards your word count).
2- Please also include your word count at the bottom of your original post.
3- plagiarism report

ANSWER

The difference between international (or transnational) and domestic terrorism

 Introduction

There is a major difference between domestic and international terrorism.  Domestic terrorism can also be referred to as homegrown terrorism, where the victims are within a country, and the perpetrator is of the same citizenship as the victim. On the contrary, international terrorism entails an act of terrorism that transcends national boundaries. It is manifest that domestic terrorism can result in persistent effects on international terrorism, which means that it is as dangerous as international terrorism and should be curbed to ensure that it does not escalate to be bigger and more dangerous.

Domestic terrorism can occur when a person attacks a group or individuals in the same country. Such attacks have been common in the US, where local citizens decide to pull an attack in either a gathering or a public place to kill or injure other local citizens. International terrorism, on the other hand, can involve individuals from foreign nations choosing to attack citizens of a different country. The major international terrorism case in the US was the 9/11 attack carried out by jihadists from a foreign nation (Berg, 2020). The 9/11 attack was deadly, where the terrorists received trained and support from foreign groups abroad. Some international terrorist groups include Al-Qaida and ISIS, which are foreign-based but have pulled attacks on nations abroad. As for domestic terrorists, some may be local individuals but get sponsorship and support from foreign groups such as ISIS.

Nevertheless, both domestic and international terrorism can result from similar factors such as political polarization, and other factors have combined with the power of online communication and social media. The two can also be caused by changing ideologies and religious extremism.

Since the 911 attacks, Jihadists have killed more than 107 people in the United States alone. This death toll is almost similar to domestic terrorism attacks, consisting of an anti-government militia, white supremacist, and anti-abortion violence, which have killed around 114 people (Berg, 2020). Cases of domestic terrorism have been on the rise, with most of the attacks inspired by black separatist/nationalist ideology and ideological misogyny (Bjelopera, 2017). Individuals with such ideologies are mainly not sponsored or supported by international terror groups but rather feel that they can express their anger or beliefs by targeting local citizens and causing havoc. The case of terrorism in the US currently is becoming more homegrown and is mostly not a result of the province of any one group or ideological perspective.

This further proves the difference between the two types of terrorism. It is manifest that the US is currently a primary target of foreign terrorist organizations but has seen a series of attacks by individuals who are citizens in the country. The reduced cases of international terrorism can be attributed to the layered set of defenses which include tips from local communities and the widespread use of informants. However, it is pretty challenging for the security organs to detect domestic terrorism, which most cases opt to operate alone when making attacks.

Conclusion

There is a major difference between domestic and international terrorism. The key difference is that international terrorism mainly entails attacks from foreign individuals and groups, while domestic terrorism involves acts of terror by the citizens of a country. The United States, since the 9/11 attacks, has experienced more domestic attacks as compared to the international ones due to more improved security measures of stopping attacks from jihadist groups such as Al-Qaida.

References

Berg, P. (2020). Part IV. What is the Threat to the United States Today? Retrieved from https://www.newamerica.org/in-depth/terrorism-in-america/what-threat-united-states-today/

Bjelopera, J. P. (2017). Domestic Terrorism: An Overview.