Confronting Terrorism

For your final paper, review the various terrorist groups, causes, and motivators of terrorism examined throughout the course. Be sure to read Max Fisher’s article “Terrorist or Disturbed Loner? The Contentious Politics of a Label” (2017). Select one of the three options below to set the stage for how the U.S. should confront terrorism in the future, and evaluate your selected options according to the criteria at bottom.

• The effect of polarization of American politics. Assess how the polarization of American politics creates new threats of domestic terror in the U.S. from white nationalists, anarchists, extreme environmentalists, and radicalized citizens of Middle Eastern heritage. Watch the required video The American Face of Terror: Political and Security Realities, where a moderated panel discusses various views of the effects of politics and terrorism from a U.S. perspective and a terrorist perspective. They explore the issues and complexity of politics and terrorism and address the issue from military intervention to ideology, and from domestic to international perspectives.

After you have selected one of the three scenarios listed above, select an international or domestic terrorist group or movement that is active today and a threat to U.S. interests either at home or overseas.

In your paper,

• Summarize various strategies the U.S. can use to respond to or prevent terrorist attacks by your chosen group.
• Assess the potential effectiveness of
  • Normal police response to criminal action.
  • More comprehensive socioeconomic strategies.
  • Military action.
• Appraise if additional police powers or legislative measures are needed by the federal government to protect the country from terrorist threats.
• Evaluate if increasing governmental powers to enhance security is worth the potential erosion of civil liberties.

Support your analysis with a minimum of six scholarly and/or credible resources (including a minimum of three from the Ashford University Library).

The Confronting Terrorism paper

• Must be be 12 double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
• Must include a separate title page with the following:
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
• Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
• Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.
• Must use at least six scholarly and/or credible resources (including a minimum of three from the Ashford University Library).
  • The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
• Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.