XENOPHOBIA, RADICAL NATIONALISM, AND HATE CRIME IN THE OSCE AREA: THE CASE OF THE UNITED STATES, 2021-2023
Marina Peunova
Since the publication of our previous report in 2021, xenophobia and the threat of violent extremism in the United States (U.S.) heightened. Such discriminatory realities as systemic racism, white supremacy, and socioeconomic inequality continue to define the period under review. A polarization between right-wing and left-wing politics and popular sentiments is underway. Opposing ideological camps now clash on most matters, and their views have become significantly more polarized. The war of ideas has been taking place not just in the streets but online, leading to further radicalization and drawing more converts. Propaganda, hate speech, and misinformation continue to fuel further violent extremist and xenophobic acts.
The COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the continued resurgence of far-right violent extremism has defined the period under review. The presidency of Donald Trump Jr., which culminated in the January 6 insurrection at the State Capitol, induced the threat of domestic terrorism. The landscape could be described as what Adrienne LaFrance, the editor of The Atlantic, dubbed in her April 2023 issue cover story “the new anarchy.” This state defines post-Trumpean America, where violence is increasingly used to attain political goals or to fulfill ideological fantasies fueled by misinformation and conspiracy theories.
While the so-called Islamist threat has subsided and international counterterrorism is no longer a priority for the U.S. national defense and security agendas, it remains present. The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was fraught with error. Many Afghans who collaborated with the U.S. are now left in a legal limbo, their status unresolved in the U.S. and their security jeopardized in Afghanistan.
