Lone Wolves

As the attacks in Norway, Munich and most recently Christchurch have shown: a new threat is now shaking liberal Western societies. Radicalized right-wing extremists so-called lone wolves are engaging in individually planned terror attacks. Written by an expert on terrorism and populism, this book highlights the dynamics of this new breed of terrorism. By providing in-depth insights into the biographies of individual perpetrators, it illustrates the changing profile of the typical lone terrorist. This new kind of terrorist engages in violence without being a member of a party or organization, yet is radicalized by a global right-wing subculture that communicates in virtual networks. This startling and well-written book reveals the ideological roots of lone wolf terrorism and urges governments and civil society to take the threat seriously and implement suitable countermeasures.

Highlights the dynamics and ideological roots of lone wolf terrorism Written in clear and straightforward language for the politically interested reader Discusses suitable countermeasures to prevent future terror attacks

Autorentext

Florian Hartleb is Managing Director of Hanse Advice in Tallinn (Estonia), a political consultancy. He lectures at German universities such as the Catholic University Eichstätt and the University for Police of Saxony-Anhalt. He was appointed as an official investigator of the City of Munich following the terror attacks of 22ndJuly 2016. He has published various books including a Springer book on political populism in 2004, and is an internationally recognized keynote speaker.

Zusammenfassung

"Lone Wolves: The New Terrorism of Right-Wing Single Actors is a remarkably interesting work that provides a well-documented and wide-ranging analysis, both from a theoretical and an empirical perspective." (European Eye on Radicalization, eeradicalization.com, July 10, 2020)

"This is a book well worth reading as it opens new research directions not only regarding the question of 'what makes a lone wolf terrorist' but also how the milieus that propagate them may be countered." (José Pedro Zúquete, Perspectives on Terrorism, Vol. 14 (3), 2020)

"Lone Wolves contains much interesting information on the issue ... . Hartleb delivers several messages that are valuable for an informed public discourse - for instance, the book raises awareness for the fact that far-right extremism does constitute a major terrorist threat and that, for far too long, a double standard has been applied when comparing Islamist and far-right violence." (Jannis Jost, JIPSS Journal for Intelligence, Propaganda and Security Studies, Vol. 13 (2), 2019)

Inhalt
Right-wing Terrorism. Still an Underestimated Threat.- What is a "Lone Wolf"?.- Offenders and Terrorism. Ideology, Motives, Objectives.- Radicalisation in Our Very Midst and in Virtual Rooms and Spaces.- Counter-Strategies and Prevention.- Conclusions.