EXTREMISM QUARTERLY: NORTH AMERICA & EUROPE

Threats Posed by the Extreme Left and Right

In the run-up to the 2024 presidential election and in the context of Donald Trump’s extraordinary legal circumstances, it is possible that fervent far-right supporters of the former president will carry out acts of extremist violence against federal government and/or Democratic Party personnel or facilities in the coming months. In our latest Extremism Quarterly (a flagship Sibylline product examining global extremist trends), we aim to assess the threat posed by far-right groups in North America more broadly, as well as in Europe, where there has been a notable increase in the number of groups which deny the legitimacy of functioning states as federal republics.

However, a comprehensive assessment of the threat posed by actors inhabiting one extreme end of the political spectrum cannot be achieved without exploring the other. In the wake of an unprecedented spate of climate-related disasters across the world in recent months, far-left extremists’ collaboration with traditional climate activists will elevate security risks for companies perceived to facilitate climate change. In addition, anti-capitalist and/or technology ideologies will drive multi-sectoral risks for businesses and their leaders.  Our report also considers the role of cyber, as well as the possibility of extreme far-right elements seeping into Europe from the battlefields of Ukraine as and when the war ends.