ABSTRACT
This chapter contends that several variants of triumphal whiteness have manifested themselves in "national security" disputes over terrorism. It argues that there is no coincidence that the American and European purveyors of these triumphal narratives assiduously avoid discussing the role that local militias, White far-right groups, and "lone wolf" terrorists play in perpetuating terrorist violence. American authorities and European Union communities have formulated controversial, purportedly "colorblind" policies that are populist in nature and that, by extension, hide the lingering rhetorical power of the ethnic, class, and gendered prejudices that gave rise to those policies in the first place. The adoption of critical intercultural approaches to terrorism enables scholars to see the praxis behind the formation and implementation of key US and European counterterrorist policies. Officials representing the Trump administration use counterterrorist rhetoric about emergencies, existential security threats, and military necessity as they identify those who are linked to countries "of concern."
