ABSTRACT
Domestic white Christian extremism now poses a greater terrorist threat to the United States’ security and stability than transnational jihadism. While there are many causes – including immigration, the economic struggles of the white working class and emotive social issues like abortion – the factors that have made white militancy so powerful are its deep roots in American history and its consequently toxic latency in American culture. Eradicating the leaders of terrorist organisations has been considered one of the most effective means of weakening them, and it is clear from the flattened transnational trajectories of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State that ‘decapitation’ can disrupt and constrain terrorist groups’ ability to conduct effective operations. At the same time, the overall persistence of such groups indicates that leadership targeting is hardly a counter-terrorism panacea.
