ABSTRACT
How have the American intelligence and law enforcement agencies defined domestic terrorism? Has the definition served to constrain the number of reported terror incidents in the United States? We have seen the established definitions of terrorism change subsequent to any experienced major terror event. There has yet to be a complete acceptance by either law enforcement or intelligence agencies of any one of the frequently employed definitions. This has led to a compilation of problems experienced from the federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to all the associated partners at every governmental level. The investigation and prevention of domestic terrorism have been charged to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It has maintained a historical data file that has allowed the FBI to classify trends and threats during different periods of time in the United States. National attacks have precipitated a much needed call for collaboration and sharing of intelligence information with all public and private partners. The organizational culture of each of these respective groups poses a major problem to any collaborative effort by fostering an aura of both politics and turf wars. The United States is founded on the principle of personal freedom, and this has to remain a concern when implementing any new security initiatives or legislations. The country's history has shown large numbers of individuals bound together by a similar ideology as a group for social change. The problem associated with these factions has been recognized by the emergence of fringe radical groups utilizing acts of violence to achieve the group's goals. There are numerous historical accounts of similar nationalistic-type groups, engaging a radical component to attain a recognizable level of power and manifesting a political change within the diplomatic process, which could become a reality for the United States.
