ABSTRACT
Terrorism poses a special problem to democratic governments. As Walter Laqueur noted, the constitutional constraints they place on themselves make it more difficult to combat terrorism. Furthermore, if these governments fail to effectively combat terrorism, they are subject to ridicule and contempt by the press. Finally, if they adopt stringent measures, they leave themselves open to charges of oppression and violation of human rights. 1 However, one principal advantage that democratic governments generally have is that they enjoy legitimacy among most of their populations. Thus they can usually depend upon their sustained support in efforts to suppress terrorism. 2
As mentioned in previous chapters, episodes of right-wing extremism and violence have punctuated American history almost from the founding of the republic. Consequently, the government has had to deal with this development on many past occasions. This chapter examines various ways in which the US government has responded to right-wing terrorism and extremism.
