Blog Post
By Daniel E. Levenson
September 14, 2024
As a member of the Society for Terrorism Research and an academic reviewer for the organization’s journal, Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression, I was very happy to be able to make it to the annual conference this year, which was held at the University of Central Oklahoma. During the two-day event there were a number of great presentations, and I also had the pleasure of taking part in many informal and highly engaging conversations with researchers and practitioners from around the world.
In particular, I thought Dr. John Lamb’s work on “Terrorism as an Act of Special Liberty,” was very insightful with respect to the role that ego and ideology can play in violent extremism, and Dr. Andrew Glazzard and Dr. Alastair Reed’s presentation, “Future Tense: The Narrative Form of Right-Wing Terrorist Communications” touched on a theme in which I have long been interested, namely the misuse/abuse of historical narrative to justify ideological violence. Keynote speakers Professor Gina Ligon, Director of the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology and Education Center (NCITE), and Col. Sean Morrow Director of the Combatting Terrorism Center at West Point each made a compelling case for the importance of communication and partnership between and across the public and private sectors, and the criticality of creating opportunities for creative thinking in this space.
One of the major highlights of the conference was a visit to the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum, which really drove home both the horrific impact of this heinous act, as well as the incredible response by the community. This incident has long been one that I’ve included in my presentations for law enforcement, and to see both the actual vehicle in which McVeigh was stopped, as well as information relating to the investigation and prosecution definitely provided valuable insights I intend to incorporate into these trainings. These presentations include “The History and Use of Hate Symbols” for investigators and patrol officers, with a focus on symbol recognition and context where I look at McVeigh’s possession of anti-government and violent extremist propaganda in the vehicle, as well as “An Overview of Violent Extremism in the US” in which I place his actions in the context of the broader anti-government and militia movements/milieu of the late 1990’s and discuss events in his personal and professional life which likely played a role in his radicalization to violence.
As memorials and museums go this was one of the most powerful I’ve visited – from a professional perspective it offered an in-depth narrative that touched on every aspect of the crime, but from a more human and personal perspective it felt more like a visit to a cemetery than a museum. Such experiences are important I think for those of us working in this space, lest we risk losing perspective on the reasons why we do this work. For me anyway, at the end of the day it is about saving lives and protecting communities. Having met survivors and family members of victims of violent extremism/terrorism both domestically and abroad, I like to think that I will never lose sight of the indelible mark that ideologically motivated crimes have on individuals and society. At the same time though, I think that the psychological distance we cultivate in order to be able to do this work, especially with respect to historical cases, needs to be balanced by reminders of the very real human cost at the center of this kind of political violence.
Spending time with friends and colleagues is always worthwhile, and having the chance to hear what others have learned is always valuable, but incorporating experiences like this museum tour added a whole other dimension to my time in Oklahoma.
Copyright Daniel E. Levenson 2024.
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