A Book Talk with Arie Perliger

Summary

On August 18th, 2020, the Program on Extremism hosted an online event to discuss Arie Perliger's new book American Zealots. The discussion was moderated by Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens, Program on Extremism Research Director.

In American Zealots, Arie Perliger provides a wide-ranging and rigorously researched overview of right-wing domestic terrorism. He analyzes its historical roots, characteristics, tactics, rhetoric, and organization, assessing the current and future trajectory of the use of violence by the far right. Perliger draws on a comprehensive dataset of more than 5,000 attacks and their perpetrators in order to explore key trends in American right-wing terrorism. The book also examines contemporary relations between the various ideological American far right movements, including today's white supremacists, anti government groups, and antiabortion fundamentalists. Based on these findings, Perliger suggests counterterrorism policies that can respond effectively to the far-right threat. A groundbreaking examination of violence spawned from right-wing ideologies, American Zealots is essential reading for everyone seeking to understand the transformation of domestic terrorism.