Every country and every culture has been plagued by terrorism at some point in time. Terrorism is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “any act of violence or intimidation in the pursuit of political aims”. Both the KKK and IS engage in despicable acts of savagery to advance their political and religious agenda. Born out of fear, hate and disregard for unrestricted personal liberty these organizations commit themselves to the disruption of cultural evolution. Here we can examine history by doing a Then and Now comparison.
During the reconstruction of the South Republicans gained political favor but were resisted by the predominately all white Democratic Party through the KKK. The Ku Klux Klan was originally founded in 1868 and over the next decade would foster anti-black prejudices and white supremacy to further the Democratic political agenda. Through the use of guerilla tactics the KKK successfully terrorized the black community by issuing death threats, beating and even murdering politically active blacks and their white counterparts. Although resistance to the KKK was evident it took Federal political and military intervention to stymie the wave of hatred. Federal acts such as three Enforcement Acts, the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 and the Civil Rights Act of 1875 allowed for voters to be protected and interference and infringement of civil and political rights became a federal violation. The South although “reconstructed” eventually reverted back to Democratic controlled states.
While the United States was embroiled in war throughout the Middle East a small yet powerful group began to emerge. Currently known as the Islamic State, this group crusades against established governments with the goal to enforce an extremist Islamic regime. Using military tactics and propaganda campaigns IS effectively wages a war that is oppressing the culture and safety of inhabitants who wish to lead a moderate and peaceful way of life in the Middle East. With the majority of Iraq fallen to the hands of this cult a United Nations coalition has formed to counteract and hopefully prevent an invasion into Syria. US Military leaders are currently fielding options on how best to combat IS without sending American troops overseas. Training local military regiments is proving more difficult than originally anticipated.
These two groups feed off of extremism. The KKK could have been considered the beginning of a political war machine in
