Spiritual Warfare and the Apocalypse

The framing of political violence in the Trump era has included the use of religious themes to legitimate a coalition uniting segments of the Christian right with non-Christian far-right groups like American Nazis, QAnon followers, and the Proud Boys. This chapter traces the formation of the concepts of spiritual warfare and apocalyptic violence among these groups prior to their current alliance, activities contributing to the formation of this alliance (the message of the framing), and whether the alliance is sustainable in its present form.

Humans and Monsters

Crime, and in particular violent crime, is a frequent source of media interest both in the form of factual reporting and fictional portrayal. As explained through an analysis of academic and theoretical literature, media representation has the potential to influence large populations and shape the opinions that mainstream society hold related to the perpetrators of such crimes. Case studies examining the CONTEST counterterrorism strategy in the United Kingdom and the failure of the UK Government to implement this strategy in the manner intended, and strategies for demobilization of perpetrators of genocide in Rwanda are outlined in detail. The case studies are then considered together in terms of how they align with what the underpinning theory argues. Overall conclusions are drawn that success and failure of strategies for reintegration of perpetrators of mass violence are dependent on a combination of state buy-in and destruction of the ‘monster' narrative associated with fictional and factual media portrayal of perpetrators in the West in particular.

Folie à Deux in the 21st Century

The purpose of this chapter is to use the concept of folie à deux (or shared delusion disorder) to examine the phenomena of “Q” and the “QAnon” movement in the 21st century. The insurrection which occurred on January 6, 2021 during the attack on the United States' capitol, drew the authors' attention to try to understand the reason for this mass violence and to determine what individuals, motivations, and beliefs brought this violence to life. The allegory of Plato's Cave is used by the authors to offer the reader a context to place the current increasingly bizarre claims and conspiracies that those following the QAnon espouse. Moreover, a discussion is presented of why these beliefs are so attractive to some and how difficult it is to get one to leave the movement.

The Power of Literature to Decipher the Archetype of Lone-Wolf

The Soviet Union collapse marked the end of the Cold War and the rise of the US as the only superpower, at least until 9/11, a foundational event where four civil aeroplanes were directed against the commercial and military hallmarks of the most powerful nation. Terrorism and the so-called War on Terror characterized the turn of a bloody century whose legacy remains to date. The chapter explores the dilemmas of lone-wolf terrorism from the lens of literature as well as cultural theory. The authors hold the thesis that terrorism activates some long-dormant narrative forged in the colonial period respecting to the “non-Western other.” Having said this, the chapter dissects the plot of some novels and TV films, which takes part in the broader cultural entertainment industry. Based on the logic of living with the enemy, novels alert on the importance to scrutinize the non-Western guests (migrants) as future terrorists.

Psychological Predictors of Mass-Murdering in Adolescents

The chapter describes and critically evaluates predictors of MM in adolescents. The review combines psychological and criminological theories, aiming to better understand the phenomenon. The methodology includes (1) literature review of scientific papers and (2) software-based text-analysis on crime-news. This integration will provide a critical view of adolescents who commit MM from both scientific and media content. Through a detailed description of MM's risk factors among adolescents, this chapter aims at increasing parents', school leaders', school counselors', social workers', teachers', and health professionals' knowledge on the phenomenon. In this way, families and institutions may be able to build prompt, preventative, and tailored strategies to counteract MM.

Mass Shooting and Misogyny

It is the violent ideology Americans cannot ignore. This hate and extremism overwhelming reside in males. Disproportionately committed by males, gun violence, as shown by data, reveals that misogyny can be a precursor to other forms of extremism. Gun violence and particularly mass-shootings have once again seized Americans of all political stripes as the hot-topic debate of the day. American's fascination with gun ownership dates to the roots of independence from the British crown and why colonists insisted that protection to own and possess firearms be woven into the private citizens' constitutional rights. There are an estimated 393 million guns in America, almost one for each citizen but held by approximately 42% of the population. It makes America, per capita, the largest privately-owned gun-toting country in the world. Many of the population surveyed claim to own four or more weapons – hardly necessary for self-defense. This chapter explores mass shootings and misogyny.

Biological Agents

In this chapter, the authors examine the issue of biological agents as weapons in mass violence incidents. The chapter begins with an overview of the threat within the broader context of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats from non-state actors. The specific vulnerabilities of the United States are addressed, as is the state of preparedness. The “pathogen threat matrix” is also used to describe and categorize different pathogens' threat levels. These threats are further described in terms of how these pathogens impact their human hosts and how they are propagated within human populations. Finally, the challenges of prevention and investigation of attacks using biological agents are considered. It is concluded that while no significant attack using biological agents has yet occurred, both the likelihood and dangerousness of such a threat is increasing over time as biotechnology continues to develop.

Wired for War

While the motivations for waging war may not have changed significantly over time, the strategies and methodologies employed by humans that may have resulted in genocide and unilateral annihilation certainly have changed. The tenets purported by Sun Tzu in his classic The Art of War remain as relevant today as they were when he wrote this ancient military treatise; however, the introduction of advanced technologies and training strategies have drastically altered the ways in which humans currently engage in conflict. The long-term effects of utilizing these advanced technologies and training strategies have yet to be completely realized, and research suggests that the impact that these effects are having is not only relegated to the devastation of the enemy, but they are also having unanticipated psychological and cognitive effects on the initiators of the action. When science fiction becomes reality and the basis of how wars are fought, the determination of the ethics, laws, economics, and politics surrounding those wars presents humans with new challenges.

Messengers of Death

This chapter analyzes the cyber environment of mass violence and terrorism globally. More specifically, it uncovers the role of cyberspace at the root of terror. Since the fall of the Soviet Union and conclusion of the Cold War, the United States (US) has been perceived both domestically and globally as the single super power capable of anything, but it remains vulnerable to a not-so-new tactic of destruction. 9/11 made that clear and spawned an immense architecture of countering terrorism, which as of this writing has been successful in the limited sense of defending the country from the sort of catastrophic wreckage that occurred that September morning. From mass shootings to “lone wolf” terrorist attacks, the US and the international community remain quite vulnerable to terror. While the role of cyber is not deterministic, its importance is as overwhelming as it is overlooked by policymakers and scholars alike.

Laws and Methods for Mitigating Terrorism and Mass Violence

As a result of the horrific 9/11 (2001) suicide terrorist attacks, US citizens generally have concluded international terrorism is behind mass-casualty attacks. As the 20th anniversary of 9/11 draws near, the post 9/11 era shows the emerging threats to the US will continue as a composition of ideologies from jihadist, far right, and leftist extremism, and idiosyncratic strains. Intelligence agencies worldwide are concerned about the looming threats of bioterrorism from variant strains of COVID. As a cataclysmic event, 9/11 radically changed laws and methods nations use to evaluate their geopolitical policies and operationalize their new counterterrorism strategies. This chapter will explore the laws and methods used to help fight and mitigate emerging threats. Underpinning this research review are the conflict theory, religion as a political philosophy, and the abandonment theory of personality disorders observed playing an influencing role in recruiting extremists.