From Superiority to Supremacy

Exploring the Vulnerability of Military and Police Special Forces to Extreme Right Radicalization

Bibliographic Data

ID6454350
AuthorsDarryl Koehler (0000-0003-2940-7050, German Institute on Radicalization and De-Radicalization Studies (GIRDS), corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume48
Issue2
Pages115-138
Publication date2022-06-20
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueStudies in Conflict and Terrorism (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1057-610X • E-ISSN: 1521-0731
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/1057610x.2022.2090047
OpenAlexW4283214440
LanguageEN
Citations received9

This article explores potential vulnerability factors for extreme right radicalization of Special Operation Forces (SOF) and Special Weapons and Tactics (S.W.A.T.) personnel in Western countries. Drawing on inquiry commissions reports regarding extreme right behavior or ethical misconduct by six elite units from four countries (Germany, Canada, Australia, the U.S.), this article argues that a lack of diversity in gender and ethnicity, elite warrior subcultures, echo chamber effects and cognitive rigidity can become vulnerability factors for extreme right radicalization. Further, the need for targeted resilience among SOF and S.W.A.T. units designed to counter such processes is highlighted

Computer security · Criminology · Elite · Misconduct · Political science · Politics · Radicalization · Sociology · Terrorism · Vulnerability (computing · Computer Science · Law · Psychology · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

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