Countering Violent Extremism in the United States

The U.S. has been fighting a global network of violent Islamic extremist organizations like ISIS and Al-Qaeda for close to 20 years, but as the U.S. continues to experience mass shootings at home – 17 so far in 2019 – the question of how to address the threat has become a pressing, and politically divisive issue.    

According to FBI Director Christopher Wray, since 9/11, more Americans have died in domestic terrorist attacks than in international attacks.   The Bureau says it has made close to 100 domestic terrorism arrests in 2019, many of them involving white supremacy. 

Experts say there is a need for a much broader approach that goes well beyond the responsibilities of a single federal agency or a single legislative effort, to address the threat.

The U.S.’ Achilles heel before 9/11 was silo-ed government and the lack of sharing information across agencies that had different touch points.  A new version of that – as the U.S. tackles the issue of domestic terrorism – may also need to include communication within and between communities.

Here’s what the experts say we need to do next.

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