A Comprehensive Assessment of Right-Wing Terrorism in the United States: Motivation, Radicalization, and Attack Patterns

Tyler Houser

Advisor: Beidi Dong, PhD, Department of Criminology, Law and Society

Committee Members: Sue-Ming Yang, Cesar Rebellon, Roberto Santos

Online Location, #Online
April 02, 2026, 01:00 PM to 03:00 PM

Abstract:

Domestic terrorism is on the rise in the United States. Although multiple ideologies exist, right-wing extremist movements represent the greatest terrorist threat to the safety and security of America’s homeland. This dissertation explores the radical ideology and provides an assessment of right-wing terrorism in the United States through a three-article approach. Although each manuscript can stand independently and contribute to the existing literature, they work together to provide a comprehensive understanding of the radical right-wing ideology that spans the entire terrorist process.

Manuscript One establishes a theoretical framework using Agnew’s General Strain Theory of Terrorism to explain right-wing extremism as a violent reaction to relative deprivation and the erosion of a historically preferred status quo. The paper argues that contemporary political polarization amplifies these grievance-based strains, extending radicalization risks beyond fringe elements to a broader segment of the population who feel marginalized by evolving social norms. Manuscript Two operationalizes parts of the theoretical framework presented in the first paper and empirically evaluates whether personal financial achievement and macroeconomic conditions are moderated by the presence of partisan and minority out-groups. The findings suggest that macroeconomic conditions drive right-wing extremists to violence only when scapegoats are available to blame for perceived hardship.

Finally, Manuscript Three uses a Routine Activity Theory framework to examine the situational determinants of right-wing terrorist attacks, specifically analyzing how guardianship, target suitability, and offender motivation influence fatality outcomes. The findings show that firearm legislation and target type are strongly linked to lethal outcomes, while motivation is unrelated. The results highlight the need for strategies that reduce opportunities for harm rather than focusing solely on motivation. Overall, this dissertation integrates insights across the entire terrorist lifecycle to demonstrate that right-wing violence is an interconnected process driven by the convergence of individual grievances, macroeconomic and social conditions, and situational opportunities. By synthesizing these distinct dimensions, this research establishes a holistic framework that identifies specific intervention points necessary to disrupt the progression from radicalization to attack.