Since 9/11, policymakers and practitioners in the West traditionally employ a mix of hard- and soft-power approaches to counterterrorism. While kinetic measures such as targeted killings and arrests comprise part of the government’s response to terrorism, officials use a range of mechanisms to engage and empower populations as a means to prevent mobilization to terrorist violence. Often under the banner of “Countering Violent Extremism,”(CVE) softer measures, like intervention programming and counter-messaging initiatives, are critical mechanisms for governments and civil society alike. The execution of influential counter-narrative campaigns represents a challenging but necessary tool for stakeholders tasked with preventing and confronting the adoption of extreme ideas and actions.
Author: Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens
Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens is Research Director of the Program on Extremism at the George Washington University. Prior to joining the Program on Extremism, he was the Head of Research at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR).
